


N^' '^'^r^^o^ 



^; "Mi 



'^^'^; ^oWrny^ 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The, Library of Cong/ess 






o 0' 



.-^^^\ 



^ <^ -^, .^ :^ 



X- v^ 



^^ V 



http://www.archive.org/details/riflehoundinceyl01 bal^e 



-'f* 

rO 



^ 



■* -i^ 



•XV N 



3o. 



.^^ "'^^ 



A^' 



/? '-^ 









^'^^> .^\^'' 






c,^ ''^^ 






vA' 



,^ 



V I 8 



3 0^ 






ct-. '- 






.\ 



^■ 






- V 
3o. 






r;^ l~ 



"^^ 



•tf-. * 



"'^ ,s^\^^ 






./ 






\V 










V 




xO=i- 




V 






.V 









V- .^^ 



5 0' 



.-^^ 






'\^ 



.^: 



.^'^^■ 



^■•^^ 



^*_ 






.x\ 



.-^^ 



^ o 



sV 



A- 



V "c- 



^J 







?».,tS^fl> niftuC».Ttof« Qf TMI ftgyrctf>^y^EWY ev:^TAHj^lC&ur£f^9vTUfi^ 




^Jfife'Vol- 6, No. «J7. Oct. 1, IMS. Annual Subscription, $50,004ft^l 

THE RIFLE 
AND HOUND 

CEYLON. 




\e ^° / 



BAKER. 



if 



t«red ftt th«? Poit Office, X. Y., as second-class matt«r. 
Copyright, 1883, by John W. Lovkll Co. 

■HHHOiBBIBBiBBBHHl 



•i 



> 








lit C&OXX BDnzW % fltli vftum mi I»«Mm<I fhjm any buokwBar tr nw«l«Hw, prtwHT" 



LOVELL'S LIBRARY-CATALOGUE. 



1. Hyperion, by H. W, Longfellow . . 20 62 
S. Outre-Mer, by H. W. Longfeilow.JiO 

3. The Happy Boy, by BjOrnson. ... 10 

4. Arne, by BjOrnson. 10 63, 

5. Frankenstein, bv Mrs. Sbelley...lO- 64 

6. The Last of tbe Mohicans 20 

7. Clytie, byjoseph Hatton 20 65, 

8. The Moonstone, by * ollins, F't 1. 10 66, 

9. The Moonstone, by Collins, P^tll. 10 67, 

10. Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens . 20 

11. The Coming Race, by Lyttoa....l0 68. 

12. Leila, by Lord Lytton 10 69. 

13. The Three Spaniards, by Walker. 20 70. 

14. TheTricka of the Qreel^ 8Unveiled.20 71. 

15. L'Abba Constantin, by Halevy..20 73. 

16. Freckles, by R. F Redcliff.. ..20 73. 

17. The Dark Colleen, by Harriett Jay.aO 74, 

18. Thpy Were Marriedl by Walter 75. 

B«9ftnt and J ames Rice 10 76. 

19. Seekers after God, by PV.rrar 90 77. 

20. The Spanish Nun, by DeQuincey.lO 78. 

21. The Green Mountaia Boys x.'0 79. 

22. Fleurette. by Eugena Scribe 20 

23. Second Thoushts, by Brouc^hton.20 80. 

24. The New >iagdalen, by Collins.. 20 81. 
23. Divorce, by >f Rr^aret Lee 20 82. 

26. Life of Waphinjfion, by Henley.. 20 83. 

27. Social Etiquett*, by lirs. Saville.-US 

28. Single Heart and Double Face. .]0- 84. 

29. Irene, by Carl Detlef 20 

80. VIc« Versa, by P. Anstey 30 85. 

81. Erneet Maitravprs, by LordLytton20 86. 
S3. Tke Haunted House and Calderon 87. 

the Courtier, by Lord Lytton. . 10 88. 

S3. John Halifax, bv Mi?«s Mulock. . .20 89. 

8 i. 800 Le»eue» on the Arnason . . 10 90. 

35. The Cryptogram, by Jules Verne. 10 91. 

35. Life of Marion, by Horry .20 

37. Paul «nd Virgini*. 10 93. 

38. Tale of Two Cities, by Dickens. .2 ) 93. 
aO. The Hermits, by Kingsley 20 94. 

40. An Adventure in Thule, and Mar- 

riage of Moira Fergus, Black .10 95. 

41. A Marriage in t igh Life 20 

4-2. Robin, by Mrs. Parr 20 96. 

43. TwoonaTower, byThos Hardy.20 97. 

44. Ras?elas, bySamuelJohneon 10 98, 

45. Alice; or, the Mysteries, being 99. 

Part II. of Frnest Maltravers. .SO 100. 

46. Duke of Kandos, by A. Mathey. ..20 

47. Baron Munchausen 10 101. 

48. A Princess of Thule, by Black.. 20 102. 

49. The Secret Despatch, by Grant, 20 

50. Early Days of Christianity, by 103. 

Canon Farrar, D D , Part I. . . .20 

Early Days of Christianity, Pt. 11.20 104. 

51. Vicar of Wakefield, by Goldsmith. 10 

52. Progress and Poverty, by Henry 105. 

G»orge 20 

53. The Spy, by Cooper ....20 106. 

54. East Lynne, by Mrs. Wood... 20 

55. A Strange Story, by Lord Lytton.. .20 107. 

56. Adam Bede, by Eliot, Part 1 15 

Adam Bede, Part II 15 108. 

67. The Golden Shaft, by Gibbon. . . .20 109. 

5S. Portia, by The Duchess 20 110. 

59. Last Days of Pompeii, by Lytton.. 20 l 111. 

90. The Two Duchesses, by Mathey. .20 112. 

61. Tom Browns School Days 20' 



The Wooing O't, by Mrs. Alex- 
ander, PartI 

The Wooing 0"t, Part II 

The Vendetta, by Balzac 

Hypatia.by 1 has. Kingsley,? 1 1 
Hypatia, by Kingsley, Part II. . . 

Selma, by Mrs. J. G. Smith 

Margaret and her Bridesmaids. 
Horse Shoe Robinson, Parti... 
Horse Shoe Robinson, Part II. . 

Gulliver's Travels, by Swift 

Amos Barton, by George Eliot.. 
The Berber, bv W E . Mayo .... 
Silas Marner^ by Ger.rge ISliot. . 

The Queen of the County 

Life of Cromwell, by Hood.. 
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte 

Child's History of Eiigland 

Molly Bawn, by The Duchess.. 
Pill nf^, by Wiiliam BergsOe,... 

Phyllis, by The Duchess 

Eomola, by Geo. Eliot, Pai 1 1. . , 
Romola, by Geo, Eliot, Part 11. . 

Science in Short Chapters 

Zanoni, by Lord Ly i ton 

A Daughter of Helh 

The Right and Wrong U^es of 

the Bible, R. Heber Newton. . 

N'ght and Morning. Pt. I 

Night and l-'orning. Part II 

Shandon Bells, by Wm. Black. , 

Monica, by the Duchess 

ileatt and Science, by Collins. . . 
The Golden Calf, by Braddon. . . 

The Dean's Daughter 

Mrs. Geoffrey, by The Duchess. . 

Pickv/ick Papers, Part I 

Pickwi'^k Papers, Part II 

Airy, Fairy Li lian, 1 he Duchess . 
McLeod of Dare, by Wm. Black, 
Tempest Tossed, by Tilton P tl 
Tempest To8sed,by Til ton. P til 
Letters from High Latitudes, by 

Lord jjufferin 

Gideon Fie ce, by Lucy 

India and Cevlon, by E. Hseclcel . . 

The Gy p.«y Queen 

The Admiral's Ward 

> import, by E. L. Bynner, P't I . . 
Nimport. byE. L Bynner, Pt II. 

Harry Holbrooke 

Tritons, by E. L. Bynner . P't I . . . 
Tritons, by E. L. Bynner F tll . 
Let Nothing You Dit'^iay, by 

Walter Besant 

Lady Audley's Secret, >y Miss 

M . E. Braddon 

Woman's Place To-day by Mrs. 

Lillie Devereux Blake 

Dunallan, by Kennedy, Parti. . 
Dunallan, by Kennedy, Part II. . 
Housekeeping and Home- mak- 
ing, by Marion Harland. 
> Ne 



No New Thing, by W. E. Norris. 

The Spoopendyke Papers 

False Hopes, by Goklwin Smith. 

Labor and Capital 

Wanda, by Ouida, Parti 

W.inda, by Ouida. Part II ...... . 



.15 
.15 
.SO 
.15 
Af) 
.15 
.20 
.15 
.15 
.20 
.10 
.20 
.10 
.20 
.15 
.fO 
.20 
.20 
.15 
20 
.15 
.15 
.20 
.20 
.20 

.20 
.15 
,15 
.£0 
10 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
20 
20 
20 
20 
20 
20 

20 
20 
,20 
20 
20 
,15 
15 
.20 
15 
15 

10 

20 

20 
15 
15 

15 
20 
20 
1 ' 
2t 



THE 



RIFLE AND HOUND 



IN CEYLON. 



BY 

Sir SAMUEL W. BAKER, M.A., F.R.G.S. 



NEW YORK: 
JOHN- W. LOVELL COMPANY, 

14 AND 16 Vesey Street. 



y 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

rAoi 

Wild Country— Dealings in the Marvelous — Enchanting Mo- 
ments—The Wild Elephant of Ceylon—" Rogues "—Elephant 
Slaughter— Thick Jungles — Character of the Country— Varie- 
ties of Game in Ceylon— " Battery for Ceylon Sport "—The 
Elk, or " Samber Deer " — Deer-coursing 13 



CHAPTER 11. 

Newera Ellia — The Turn-out for Elk-hunting — Elk-hunting— 
Elk turned to Bay— The Boar 33 



CHAPTER 



iTr. 



Minneria Lake — Brush with a Bull — An Awkward Vis-a-vis. — 
A Bright Thought — Bull Buffalo receives his Small Change — 
What is Man ? — Long Shot with the Four-ounce — Charged by 
a Herd of Buffaloes — The Four-ounce does Service — The 
"Lola" — A Woman killed by a Crocodile — Crocodile at Bol- 
godde Lake — A Monster Crocodile — Death of a Crocodile. . . 42 



CHAPTER IV. 

Equipment for a Hunting Trip — In Chase of a Herd of Ele- 
phants — Hard Work — Close Quarters — Six Feet from the 

Muzzle — A Black with a Devil 65 

9 



lo Contents, 



CHAPTER V. 

PAai 

The Four-ounce Again — Tidings of a Rogue — Approaching a 
Tank Rogue — An Exciting Moment — Ruins of Pollanarua — 
Ancient Ruins — Rogues at Doolana— B. charged by a Rogue 
— Planning an Attack — A Check — Narrow Escape — Rogue- 
stalking — A Bad Rogue — Dangers of Elephant-shooting — The 
Rhatamahatmeya's Tale. 75 



CHAPTER VI. 

'haracter of the Veddahs — Description of the Veddahs — A Mo- 
narnpitya Rogue — Attacking the Rogue — Breathless Excite- 
ment — Death of a Large Rogue— Utility of the Four-ounce — A 
Curious Shot — Fury of a Bull Buffalo — Character of the Wild 
Buffalo — Buffalo-shooting at Minneria Lake— Charge in High 
Reeds — Close of a Good Day's Sport — Last Day at Minneria 
— A Large Snake — An Unpleasant Bedfellow 101 



CHAPTER Vn. 

Capabilities of Ceylon — Deer at Illepecadewe — Sagacity of a Pa- 
riah Dog— Two Deer at One Shot — Deer-stalking — Hamban- 
totte Country — Kattregsffn Festival — Sitrawelle — Ruins of 
Ancient Mahagam — Wiharewelle — A Night Attack upon Ele- 
phants — Shooting by Moonlight— Yalle River — Another Rogue 
— A Stroll before Breakfast — A Curious Shot — A Good Day's 
Sport 128 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Best Hounds for Elk-hunting— Smut — Killbuck — The Horton 
Plains— A Second Soyer— The Find— The Buck at Bay— The 
Bay — The Death — Return of Lost Dogs — Comparative Speed 
of Deer — Veddah Ripped by a Boar — A Melee — Buck at 
Black Pool — Old Smut's Ruse — Margosse Oil 153 



Contents. t \ 



CHAPTER IX. 

PAGH 

A Morning's Deer-coursing— Kondawataweny— Rogue at Kon- 
dawataweny — A Close Shave — Preparations for Catching an 
Elephant — Catching an Elephant — Taming Him— Flying Shot 
at a Buck — Cave at Dimboold^n^ — Awkward Ground — A 
Charmed Life lyg 



CHAPTER X. 

Another Trip to the Park — A Hard Day's Work — Discover a 
Herd— Death of the Herd— A Furious Charge— Caught at 
Last — The Consequences — A Thorough Rogue — Another 
Herd in High Lemon Grass— Bears — A Fight between a 
Moorman and a Bear — A Musical Herd — Herd Escape — A 
Plucky Bear— Death of " Killbuck "—Good Sport with a Herd 
—End of the Trip 176 

CHAPTER XL 

Excitement of Elephant-shooting — An Unexpected Visitor — A 
Long Run with a Buck — Hard Work Rewarded— A Glorious 
Bay — End of a Hard Day's Work — Bee-hunters — Disasters of 
Elk-hunting— Bran Wounded — " Old Smut's " Buck — Boar at 
Hackgalla— Death of "Old Smut " — Scenery from the P^re- 
well^ Mountains— Diabolical Death of " Merriman " — Scene of 
the Murder 221 



CHAPTER XIL 
A JuNGLB Trip 244 

CHAPTER XIIL 
Conclusion 304 



THE 

Rifle and Hound. 



CHAPTER I. 

Wild Country — Dealings in the Marvelous — Enchant- 
ing Moments — The Wild Elephant of Ceylon — *' E ogues " 
— Elephant Slaughter— Thick Jungles — Character of 
the Country — Varieties of Game in Ceylon — " Battery 
for Ceylon Sport " — The Elk, or " Samber Deer " — 
Deer Coursing. 

IT is a difficult task to describe a wild country so 
exactly that a stranger's eye shall at once be made 
acquainted with its scenery and character by the 
description. And yet this is absohitely necessary if the 
narration of sports in foreign countries is supposed to 
interest those who have never had the opportunity of 
enjoying them. The want of graphic description of 
localities in which the events have occurred is the prin- 
cipal cause of that tediousness which generally accom- 
panies the steady perusal of a sporting work. You can 
read twenty pages with interest, but a monotony soon 
pervades it, and sport then assumes an appearance of 
mere slaughter. 

Now, the actual killing of an animal, the death itself, 
is not sport, unless the circumstances connected with it 
i 13 



14 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

are such as to create that pecuh'ar feeling which can 
only be expressed by the word " sport." This feeling 
cannot exist in the heart of a butcher ; he would as 
soon slaughter a fine buck by tying him to a post and 
knocking him down, as he would shoot him in his wild 
native haunts — the actual moment of death, the fact of 
killing, is his enjoyment. To a true sportsman the 
enjoyment of a sport increases in proportion to the 
wildness of the country. Catch a six-pound trout in a 
quiet mill-pond in a populous manufacturing neighbor- 
hood, with well-cultivated meadows on either side of 
the stream, fat cattle grazing on the rich pasturage, 
and, perhaps, actually watching you as you land your 
fish : it may be sport. But catch a similar fish far from 
the haunts of men, in a boiling, rocky torrent sur- 
rounded by heathery mountains, where the shadow of 
a rod has seldom been reflected in the stream, and you 
cease to think the former fish worth catching ; still he 
is the same size, showed the, same courage, had the 
same perfection of condition, and yet you cannot allow 
that it was sport compared with this wild stream. If 
you see no difference in the excitement, you are not a 
sportsman ; you would as soon catch him in a washing 
tub, and you should buy your fish when you require 
him ; but never use a rod, or you would disgrace fhe 
hickory. 

This feeling of a combination of wild country with 
the presence of the game itself to form a real sport is 
most keenly manifested when we turn our attention to 
the rifle. This noble weapon is thrown away in an 
enclosed country. The smooth-bore may and does 
afford delightful sport upon our cultivated fields ; but 
even that pleasure is doubled when those enclosui es no 



Wild Country. 15 

longer intervene, and the wide-spreading moors and 
morasses of Scotland give an idea of freedom and 
undisturbed nature. Who can compare grouse with 
partridge shooting? Still the difference exists, not so 
much in the character of the bird as in the features of 
the country. It is the wild aspect of the heathery moor 
without a bound, except the rugged outline of the 
mountains upon the sk}', that gives such a charm to the 
grouse-shooting in Scotland, and renders the deer-stalk- 
ing such a favorite sport among the happy few who can 
enjoy it. 

All this proves that the simple act of killing is not 
sport; if it were, the Zoological Gardens would form 
as fine a field to an elephant shot as the wildest Indian 
jungle. 

Man is a bloodthirsty animal, a beast of prey, 
instinctively ; but let us hope that a true sportsman is 
not a savage, delighting in nothing but death, but that 
his pursuits are qualified by a love of nature, of noble 
scenery, of all the wonderful productions which the 
earth gives forth in different latitudes. He should 
thoroughly understand the nature and habits of every 
beast or bird that he looks upon as game. This last 
attribute is indispensable ; without it he may kill, but 
he is not a sportsman. 

We have, therefore, come to the conclusion that the 
character of a country influences the character of the 
sport. The first question, therefore, that an experienced 
man would ask at the recital of a sporting anecdote 
would be, " What kind of country is it?" That being 
clearly described to him, he follows you through every 
word of your tale with a true interest, and in fact joins 
in imagination in the chase. 



i6 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

There is one great drawback to the publication of 
sporting adventures — they always appear to deal not a 
little in the marvelous ; and this effect is generally 
heightened by the use of the first person in writing, 
which at all events may give an egotistical character to 
a work. This, however, cannot easily be avoided if a 
person is describing his own adventures, and he labors 
under the disadvantage of being criticised by readers 
who do not know him personally, and may, therefore, 
give him credit for gross exaggeration. 

It is this feeling that deters many men who have 
passed through years of wild sports from publishing an 
account of them. The fact of being able to laugh in 
your sleeve at the ignorance of a reader who does not 
credit you is but a poor compensation for being con- 
sidered a better shot with a long bow than with a rifle. 
Often have I pitied Gordon Gumming when I have 
heard him talked of as a palpable Munchausen by men 
who never fired a rifle, or saw a wild beast, except in a 
cage ; and still these men form the greater proportion 
of the " readers" of these works. 

Men who have not seen cannot understand the gran- 
deur of wild sports in a wild country. There is an in- 
describable feeling of supremacy in a man who under- 
stands his game thoroughly, when he stands upon some 
elevated point and gazes over the wild territory of 
savage beasts. He feels himself an invader upon the 
solitudes of nature. The very stillness of the scene is 
his delight. There is a mournful silence in the calm- 
ness of the evening, when the tropical sun sinks upon 
the horizon — a conviction that man has left this region 
undisturbed to its wild tenants. No hum of distant 
roices, no rumbling of busy wheels, no cries of domestic 



Enchanting Moments. \h 

animals meet the ear. He stands upon a wilderness, 
pathless and untrodden by the foot of civilization, where 
no sound is ever heard but that of the elements, when 
the thunder rolls among the towering forests or the 
wind howls along the plains. He gazes far, far into 
the distance, where the blue mountains melt into an in- 
definite haze ; he looks above him to the rocky pinnacles 
which spring from the level plain, their swarthy cliffs 
glistening from the recent shower, and patches of rich 
verdure clinging to precipices a thousand feet above 
him. His eye stretches along the grassy plains, taking 
at one full glance a survey of woods, and rocks, and 
streams; and imperceptibly his mind wanders to 
thoughts of home, and in one moment scenes long left 
behind are conjured up by memory, and incidents are 
recalled which banish for a time the scene before him. 
Lost for a moment in the enchanting power of solitude, 
where fancy and reality combine in their most bewitch- 
ing forms, he is suddenly roused by a distant sound 
made doubly loud by the surrounding silence — the shrill 
trumpet of an elephant. He wakes from his reverie ; 
the reality of the present scene is at once manifested. 
He stands within a wilderness where the monster of 
the forest holds dominion ; he knows not what a 
day, not even what a moment, may bring forth ; he 
trusts in a protecting Power and in the heavy rifle, and 
he is shortly upon the track of the king of beasts. 

The king of beasts is generally acknowledged to be 
ine " lion ;" but no one who has seen a wild elephant 
can doubt for a moment that the title belongs to him in 
his own right. Lord of all created animals in might 
and sagacity, the elephant roams through his native 
forests. He browses upon the lofty branches, upturns 
2* B 



l8 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

young trees from sheer malice, and from plain to forest 
he stalks majestically at break of day, " monarch of all 
he surveys." 

A person who has never seen a wild elephant can 
form no idea of his real character, either mentally or 
physically. The unwieldy and sleepy-looking beast, 
I who, penned up in his cage at a menagerie, receives a 
sixpence in his trunk, and turns around with difficulty 
to deposit it in a box ; whose mental powers seem to 
be concentrated in the idea of receiving buns tossed 
into a gaping mouth by children's hands, — this very 
beast may have come from a warlike stock. His sire 
may have been the terror of a district, a pitiless high- 
wayman, whose soul thirsted for blood ; who, lying in 
wait in some thick bush, would rush upon the unwary 
passer-by, and know no pleasure greater than the act of 
crushing his victim to a shapeless mass beneath his feet. 
How little does his tame sleepy son resemble him ! 
Instead of browsing on the rank vegetation of w^ild 
pasturage, he devours plum-buns ; instead of bathing 
his giant form in the deep rivers and lakes of his native 
land, he steps into a stone-lined basin to bathe before 
the eyes of a pleased multitude, the whole of whom 
form their opinion of elephants in general from the 
broken-spirited monster that they see before them. 

I have even heard people exclaim, upon hearing 
anecdotes of elephant-hunting, " Poor things ! " 

Poor things, indeed ! I should like to see the very 
person who thus expresses his pity going at his best 
pace with a savage elephant after him : give him a 
lawn to run upon if he likes, and see the elephant gain- 
ing a foot in every yard of the chase, fire in his eye, 
fiirv in his headlong charge ; and would not the flying 



The Wild Elephant of Ceylon. 19 

gentleman who lately exclaimed " Poor thing ! '* be 
thankful to the lucky bullet that would save him from 
destruction ? * 

There are no animals more misunderstood than 
elephants ; they are naturally savage, wary and 
revengeful, displaying as great courage when in their 
wild state as any animal known. The fact of their 
great natural sagacity renders them the more dangerous 
as foes. Even when tamed there are many that are not 
safe for a stranger to approach, and they are then only 
kept in awe by the sharp driving hook of the mohout. 

In their domesticated state I have seen them perform 
wonders of sagacity and strength ; but I have nothing 
to do with tame elephants ; there are whole books 
written upon the subject, although the habits of an 
elephant can be described in a few words. 

All wild animals in a tropical country avoid the sun. 
They wander forth to feed upon the plains in the 
evening and during the night, and they return to the 
jungle shortly after sunrise. 

Elephants have the same habits. In those parts of 
the country where such pasturage abounds as bamboo, 
lemon grass, sedges on the banks of rivers, lakes and 
swamps, elephants are sure to be found at such sea- 
sons as are most propitious for the growth of these 
plants. When the dry weather destroys this supply of 
food in one district, they migrate to another part of the 
country. 

They come forth to feed about 4 p. m., and they inva- 
riably retire to the thickest and most thorny jungle in 
the neighborhood of their feeding-place by 7 A. M. In 
these impenetrable haunts they consider themselves 
secure from aggression. 



20 The Rifle and Houizd in Ceylon, 

The period of gestation with an elephant is supposed 
to be two years, and the time occupied in attaining full 
growth is about sixtedf]^ years. The whole period of 
life is supposed to be a hundred years, but my own 
opinion would increase that period by fifty. 

The height of elephants varies to a great degree, 
and in all cases is very deceiving. Iri Ceylon an ele- 
phant is measured at the shoulder, and nine feet at this 
point Is a very large animal. There is no doubt that 
many elephants far exceed this, as I have shot them so 
large that two tall men could lie at full length from the 
point of the fore foot to the shoulder ; but this is not a 
common size ; the average height at the shoulder would 
be about seven feet. 

Not more than one in three hundred has tusks ; they 
are merely provided with short grubbers, projecting 
generally about three inches from the upper jaw, and 
about two inches in diameter ; these are called " tushes" 
in Ceylon, and are of so little value that they are not 
worth extracting from the head. They are useful to the 
elephants in hooking on to a branch and tearing it 
down. 

Elephants are gregarious, and the average number in 
a herd is about eight, although they frequently form 
bodies of fifty and even eighty in one troop. Each herd 
consists of a very large proportion of females, and they 
are constantly met without a single bull in their num- 
ber. I have seen some small herds formed exclusively 
of bulls, but this is very rare. The bull is much larger 
than the female, and is generally more savage. His 
habits frequently induce him to prefer solitude to a gre- 
garious life. He then becomes doubly vicious. He 
seldom strays many miles from one locality, which he 



haunts for many years. He becomes what is termed a 
" rogue." He then waylays the natives, and in fact 
becomes a scourge to the neighborhood, attacking the 
inoffensive without the slightest provocation, carrying 
destruction into the natives' paddy-fields, and perfectly 
regardless of night fires or the usual precautions for 
scaring wild beasts. 

The daring pluck of these " rogues " is only equaled 
by their extreme cunning. Endowed with that won- 
derful power of scent peculiar to elephants, he travels 
in the day-time down the wind ; thus nothing can fol- 
low upon his track without his knowledge. He winds 
his enemy as the cautious hunter advances noiselessly 
upon his track, and he stands with ears thrown for- 
ward, tail erect, trunk thrown high in the air, with its 
distended tip pointed to the spot from which he winds 
the silent but approaching danger. Perfectly motionless 
does he stand, like a statue in ebony, the very essence 
of attention, every nerve of scent and hearing stretched 
to its cracking point ; not a muscle moves, not a sound 
of a rustling branch against his rough sides ; he is a 
mute figure of wild and fierce eagerness. Meanwhile, 
the wary tracker stoops to the ground, and with a prac- 
ticed eye pierces the tangled brushwood in search of his 
colossal feet. Still farther and farther he silently creeps 
forward, when suddenly a crash bursts through the jun- 
gle ; the moment has arrived for the ambushed charge, 
and the elephant is upon him. 

What increases the danger is the uncertainty prevail- 
ing in all the movements of a " rogue." You may per- 
haps see him upon a plain or in a forest. As you 
advance he retreats, or he may at once charge. Should 
he retreat, you follow him ; but you may shortly dis- 



22 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

cover that he is leading you to some favorite haunt oi 
thick jungle or high grass, from which, when you least 
expect it, he will suddenly burst out in full charge upon 
you. 

Next to a " rogue" in ferocity, and even more perse- 
vering in the pursuit of her victim, is a female elephant 
when her young one has been killed. In such a case 
she will generally follow up her man until either he or 
she is killed. If any young elephants are in the herd, 
the mothers frequently prove awkward customers. 

Elephant-shooting is doubtless the most dangerous of 
all sports if the game is invariably followed up ; but 
there is a great difierence between elephant-killing and 
€i^'g\\?i'i\\rhunting ; : the latter is sport, the former is 
slaughter. 

Many persons who have killed many elephants know 
literally nothing about the sport, and they may even leave 
Ceylon with the idea that an elephant is not a dangerous 
animal. There elephants are killed in this way, viz : 

The party of sportsmen, say two or three, arrive at 
a certain district. The headman is sent for from the 
village ; he arrives. The inquiry respecting the vicinity 
of elephants is made ; a herd is reported to be in the 
neighborhood, and trackers and watchers are sent out 
to find them. 

In the mean time, the tent is pitched, our friends are 
employed in unpacking the guns, and, after some hours 
have elapsed, the trackers return : they have found the 
herd, and the watchers are left to observe them. 

The guns are loaded and the party starts. The track- 
ers run quickly on the track until they meet one of the 
watchers who has been sent back upon the track by the 
other watchers to give the requisite information of the 



Elephant Slaughter, 23 

movements of the herd since the trackers left. One 
tracker now leads the way, and they cautiously proceed. 
The boughs are heard slightly rustling as the unconscious 
elephants are fanning the flies from their bodies within 
a hundred yards of the guns. 

The jungle is open and good, interspersed with plots 
of rank grass ; and quietly following the head tracker, 
into whose hands our friends have committed them- 
selves, they follow like hounds under the control of a 
huntsman. The tracker is a famous fellow, and he 
brings up his employers in a masterly manner within 
ten paces of the still unconscious elephants. He now 
retreats quietly behind the guns, and the sport begins. 
A cloud of smoke from a regular volley, a crash through 
the splintering branches as the panic-stricken herd rush 
from the scene of conflict, and it is all over. X. has 
killed two, Y. has killed one and Z. knocked down 
one, but he got up again and got awa}/ ; total, three 
bagged. Our friends now return to the tent, and, after 
perhaps a month of this kind of shooting, they arrive 
at their original headquarters, having bagged perhaps 
twenty elephants. They give their opinion upon 
elephant-shooting, and declare it to be capital sport, 
but there is no danger in it, as the elephants invariably 
run away. 

Let us imagine ourselves in the position of the half- 
asleep and unsuspecting herd. We are lying down in 
a doze during the heat of the day, and our senses are 
half benumbed by a sense of sleep. We are beneath 
the shade of a large tree, and we do not dream that 
danger is near us. 

A frightful scream suddenly scatters our wandering 
senses. It is a rogue elephant upon us ! It was the 



24 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

scream of his trumpet that we heard ! and he is right 
among us. How we should bolt ! How we should 
run at the first start until we could get a gun ! But let 
him continue this pursuit, and how long would he be 
without a ball in his head ? 

It is precisely the same in attacking a herd of elephants 
or any other animals unaware ; they are taken by sur- 
prise, and are for the moment panic-stricken. But let 
our friends X., Y., Z., who have just bagged three 
elephants so easily, continue the pursuit, hunt the re- 
maining portion of the herd down till one by one they 
have nearly all fallen to the bullet — X., Y., Z., will have 
had enough of it ; they will be blinded by perspiration, 
torn by countless thorns, as they have rushed through 
the jungles determined not to lose sight of their game, 
soaked to the skin as they have waded through inter- 
vening streams, and will entirely have altered their 
opinion as to elephants invariably running away, as 
they will very probably have seen one turn sharp around 
from the retreating herd, and charge straight into them 
when they least expected it. At any rate, after a hunt 
of this kind they can form some opinion of the excite- 
ment of the true sport. 

The first attack upon a herd by a couple of first-rate 
elephant-shots frequently ends the contest in a few 
seconds by the death of every elephant. I have fre- 
quently seen a small herd of five or six elephants 
annihilated in as many seconds after a well-planned 
approach in thick jungle, when they have been dis- 
covered standing in a crowd and presenting favorable 
shots. In such an instance the sport is so soon concluded 
that the only excitement consists in the cautious advance 
to the attack through bad jungle. 



• Character oj the Country 25 

As a rule, the pursuit of elephants through bad, 
thorny jungles should If possible be avoided : the 
danger is in many cases extreme, although the greater 
portion of the herd may at other times be perhaps 
easily killed. There is no certainty in a shot. An 
elephant may be discerned by the eye looming in an 
apparent mist formed by the countless intervening 
twigs and branches which veil him like a screen of 
network. To reach the fatal spot the ball must pass 
through perhaps fifty little twigs, one of which, if struck 
obliquely, turns the bullet, and there is no answering for 
the consequence. There are no rules, however, without 
exceptions, and in some instances the following of the 
gan;e through the thickest jungle can hardly be avoided. 

The character of the country in Ceylon is generally 
very unfavorable to sport of all kinds. The length of 
the island is about two hundred and eighty miles, by 
one hundred and fifty in width ; the greater portion of 
this surface is covered with impenetrable jungles, which 
form secure coverts for countless animals. 

The centre of the island is mountainous, torrents 
from which form the sources of the numerous rivers by 
which Ceylop is so well watered. The low country is 
flat. The soil throughout the island is generally poor 
\nd sandy. 

This being the character of the country, and vast 
forests rendered impenetrable by tangled underwood 
forming the principal features of the landscape, a 
person arriving at Ceylon for the purpose of enjoying 
its wild sports would feel an inexpressible disappoint- 
ment. 

Instead of mounting a good horse, as he might have 
fondly anticipated, and at once speeding over trackless 



36 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 

plains till so far from human habitations that the terri- 
tories of beasts commence, he finds himself walled in 
by jungle on either side of the highway. In vain he 
asks for information. He finds the neighborhood of 
Galle, his first landing-place, densely populated : he 
gets into the coach for Colombo. Seventy miles of 
close population and groves of cocoa-nut trees are 
passed, and he reaches the capital. This is worse and 
worse — he has seen no signs of wild country during 
his long journey, and Colombo appears to be the height 
of civilization. He books his place for Kandy ; he 
knows that is in the very centre of Ceylon — there surely 
must be sport there, he thinks. 

The morning gun fires from the Colombo fort < at 5 
A.M., and the coach starts. Miles are passed, and still 
the country is thickly populated — paddy cultivation' in 
all the flats and hollows, and even the sides of the hills 
are carefully terraced out in a laborious system of agri- 
culture. There can be no shooting here ! 

Sixty miles are passed ; the top of the Kaduganava 
Pass is reached, eighteen hundred feet above the sea 
level, the road walled with jungle on either side. From 
the summit of this pass our newly-arrived sportsman 
gazes with despair. Far as the eye can reach over a 
vast extent of country, mountain and valley, hill and 
dale, without one open spot, are clothed alike in one 
dark screen of impervious forest. 

He reaches Kandy, a civilized town surrounded b} 
hills of jungle — that interminable jungle ! — and atKand^ 
he may remain, or, better still, return again to England^ 
unless he can get some well-known Ceylon sportsman 
to pilot him through the apparently pathless forests, and 
m fact to " show him sport." This is not easily effected. 



Varieties of Game in Cejlon. 27 

Men who understand the sport are not over fond of 
acting " chaperon" to a young hand, as a novice must 
always detract from the sport in some degree. In ad- 
dition to this, many persons do not exactly know them- 
selves ; and, although the idea of shooting elephants 
appears very attractive at a distance, the pleasure some- 
what abates when the sportsman is forced to seek for 
safety in a swift pair of heels. 

I shall now proceed to give a description of the 
various sports in Ceylon — a task for which the con- 
stant practice of many years has afforded ample inci- 
dent. 

The game of Ceylon consists of elephants, buffaloes, 
elk, spotted deer, red or the paddy-field deer,* mouse 
deer, hogs, bears, leopards, hares, black partridge, red- 
legged partridge, pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, quail, snipe, 
ducks, widgeon, teal, golden and several kinds of plover, 
a great variety of pigeons, and among the class of ver- 
min are innumerable snakes, etc., and the crocodile. 

The acknowledged sports of Ceylon are elephant- 
shooting, buffalo-shootfng, deer-shooting, elk-hunting, 
and deer-coursing : the two latter can only be enjoyed 
by a resident in the island, as of course the sport is depen- 
dent upon a pack of fine hounds. Although the wild 
boar is constantly killed, I do not reckon him among 
the sports of the country, as he is never sought for, 
death and destruction to the hounds generally being at- 
tendant upon his capture. The bear and leopard also 
do not form separate sports ; they are merely killed 
when met with. 

In giving an account of each kind of sport. I shall 
explain the habits of each animal and the features of 
*A small species of deer found in the island. 



sS The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

the country wherein every incident occurs, CeyloG 
scenery being so diversified that no general description 
could give a correct idea of Ceylon sports. 

The guns are the first consideration. After the first 
year of my experience 1 had four rifles made to order, 
which have proved themselves perfect weapons in all 
respects, and exactly adapted for heavy game. They are 
double-barreled. No. lo bores, and of such power iv. 
metal that they weigh fifteen pounds each. I consider 
them perfection ; but should others consider them too 
heavy, a pound taken from the weight of the barrels 
would make a perceptible difference. I would in all 
cases strongly deprecate the two-grooved rifle for wild 
sports, on account of the difficulty in loading quickly. 
A No. lo twelve-grooved rifle will carry a conical ball 
of two ounces and a half, and can be loaded as quickly 
as a smooth-bore. Some persons prefer the latter to 
rifles for elephant-shooting, but I cannot myself under- 
stand why a decidedly imperfect weapon should be 
used when the rifle offers such superior advantages. At 
twenty and even thirty paces a- good smooth-bore will 
carry a ball with nearly the same precision as a rifle ; 
but in a country full of various large game, there is no 
certainty, when the ball is rammed down, at what ob- 
ject it is to be aimed. A buffalo or deer may cross 
the path at a hundred yards, and the smooth-bore is 
useless ; on the other hand, the rifle is always ready 
for whatever may appear. 

My battery consists of one four-ounce rifle (a single 
barrel) vv^eighing twenty-one pounds, one long two- 
ounce rifle (single barrel) weighing sixteen pounds, 
ind four double-barreled rifles, No. lo, weighing each 



The JBlk^ or " Samber Deer** 39 

fifteen pounds. Smooth bores I count for nothing, 
although I have frequently used them. 

So much for guns. It may therefore be summed up 
that the proper battery for Ceylon shooting would be 
four large-bored double-barreled rifles, say from No. 
10 to No. 12 in size, but all to be the same bore, so as 
prevent confusion in loading. Persons may suit their 
own fancy as to the weight of their guns, bearing in 
mind that single barrels are very useless things. 

Next to the " Rifle " in the order of description comes 
the "Hound." 

The " elk " is his acknowledged game, and an ac- 
count of this animal's size and strength will prove the 
necessity of a superior breed of hound.. 

The " elk " is a Ceylon blunder and a misnomer. 
The animal thus called is a " samber deer," well known 
in India as the largest of all Asiatic deer. 

A buck in his prime will stand fourteen hands high 
at the shoulder, and will weigh 600 pounds, live weight. 
He is in color dark brown, with a fine mane of coarse, 
bristly hair of six inches in length : the rest of his body 
is covered with the same coarse hair of about two 
inches in length. I have a pair of antlers in my 
possession that are thirteen inches round the burr, and 
the same size beneath the first branch, and three feet 
four inches in length ; this, however, is a very unusual 
«5ize. 

The elk has seldom more than six points to his antlers. 
The low-country elk are much larger than those on the 
highlands ; the latter are seldom more than from twelve 
to thirteen hands high ; and of course their weight is 
proportionate, that of a buck in condition being about 
400 pounds when gralloched. I have killed them mucn 
8» 



30. The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

heavier than this on the mountains, but I have given 
about the average weight. 

The habits of this animal are purely nocturnal. Me 
commences his wanderings at sunset, and retires to the 
forest at break of day. He is seldom found in greater 
numbers than two or three together, and is generally 
alone. When brought to bay he fights to the last, and 
charges man and hound indiscriminately, a choice hound 
killed being often the price of victory. 

The country in which he is hunted is in the mountain- 
ous districts of Ceylon. Situated at an elevation of 6300 
feet above the sea is Newera Ellia, the sanatorium' of 
the island. Here I have kept a pack and hunted elk 
for some years, the delightful coolness of the tempera- 
ture (seldom above 66>° Fahr.) rendering the sport 
doubly enjoyable. The principal features of this 
country being a series of wild marsh, plains, forests, tor- 
rents, mountains and precipices, a peculiar hound is re- 
quired for the sport. 

A pack of thorough-bred fox hounds would never 
answer. They would pick up a cold scent and open 
upon it before they were within a mile of their game. 
Roused from his morning nap, the buck would snuff 
the breeze, and to the distant music give an attentive 
ear, then shake the dew from his rough hide, and away 
over rocks and torrents, down the steep mountain sides, 
through pathless forests ; and woe then to the pack of 
thorough-breds, whose persevering notes would soon be 
echoed by the rocky steeps, far, far away from any 
chance of return, lost in the trackless jungles and 
ravines many miles from kennel, a prey to leopards 
and starvation ! I have proved this by experience, 
having brought a pack of splendid hounds from 



Deer-Coursifig. 31 

England, only one of which survived a few months* 
hunting. 

The hound required for elk-hunting is a cross between 
the fox-hound and blood-hound, of great size and 
courage, with as powerful a voice as possible. He 
should be trained to this sport from a puppy, and his 
natural sagacity soon teaches him not to open unless 
upon a hot scent, or about two hundred yards from his 
game ; thus the elk is not disturbed until the hound is 
at full speed upon his scent, and he seldom gets a long 
start. Fifteen couple of such hounds in full cry put 
him at his best pace, which is always tried to the utter- 
most by a couple or two of fast and pitiless lurchers 
who run ahead of the pack, the object being to press 
him at first starting, so as to blow him at the very com- 
mencement : this is easily effected, as he is full of food, 
and it is his nature always to take off straight up the 
hill when first disturbed. When blown he strikes down 
hill, and makes at great speed for the largest and deep- 
est stream ; in this he turns to bay, and tries the mettle 
of the finest hounds. 

The great enemy to a pack is the leopard. He 
pounces from the branch of a tree upon a stray hound, 
and soon finishes him, unless of great size and courage, 
in, which case the cowardly brute is soon beaten off. 
This forms another reason for the choice of large 
hounds. 

The next sport is the " deer-coursing." This is one 
of the most delightful kinds of sport in Ceylon. The 
game is the axis or spotted deer, and the open plains 
in many parts of the low country afford splendid ground 
for both grayhound and horse. 

The buck is about two hundred and fifly pounds live 



22 The Rifle and Hound i7t Ceylon. 

weight, of wonderful speed and great courage, armed 
with long and graceful antlers as sharp as needles. He 
will suddenly turn to bay upon the hard ground, and 
charge his pursuers, and is more dangerous to the gray- 
hounds than the elk, from his^ wonderful activity, and 
from ihe fact that he is coursed by only a pair of gray- 
hounds, instead of being hunted by a pack. 

Pure grayhounds of great size and courage are best 
adapted for this sport. They cannot afford to lose 
speed by a cross with slower hounds. 




CHAPTER II. 

Newera Ellia— The Turn-out for Elk-Hunting — ^Elk-Huni- 
iNG — Elk turned to Bay — The Boar. 

WHERE shall I begin ? This is a momentous ques- 
tion, when, upon glancing back upon past years, 
a thousand incidents jostle each other for precedence.. 
How shall I describe them ? This, again, is easier asked 
than answered. A journal is a dry description, min- 
gling the uninteresting with the brightest moments ot 
sport. No, I will not write a journal ; it would be end- 
less and boring. I shall begin with the present as it is, 
and call up the past as I think proper. 

Here, then, I am in my private sanctum, my rifles 
all arranged in their respective stands above the chimney- 
piece, the stags' horns round walls hung with horn- 
cases, powder-flasks and the various weapons of the 
chase. Even as I write the hounds are yelling in the 
kennel. 

The thermometer is at 62° Fahr., and it is midday. 
It never exceeds 72° in the hottest weather, and 
sometimes falls below freezing-point at night. The sky 
is spotless and the air calm. The fragrance of mignon- 
ettes, and a hundred flowers that recall England, 
fills the air. Green fields of grass and clover, neatly 
fenced, surround a comfortable house and grounds. 
Well-fed cattle of the choicest breeds and English sheep 

are grazing in the paddocks. Well-made roads and 

C 8t 



34 1^^ Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

gravel walks run through the estate. But a few years 
past, and this was all wilderness. 

Dense forest reigned where now not even the stump 
of a tree is standing ; the wind howled over hill and 
valley, the dank moss hung from the scathed branches, 
the deep morass filled the hollows ; but all is changed 
by the hand of civilization and industry. The dense 
forests and rough plains, which still form the boundaries 
Df the cultivated land, only add to the beauty. The 
lonkeys and parrots are even now chattering among 
he branches, and occasionally the elephant in his 
-i^htly wanderings trespasses upon the fields, uncon- 
scious of the oasis within his territory of savage nature. 

The still, starlight night is awakened by the harsh 
bark of the elk ; the lofty mountains, gray with the sil- 
very moonlight, echo back the sound ; and the wakeful 
hounds answer the well-known cry by a prolonged and 
savage yell. 

This is " Newera Ellia," the sanatorium of Ceylon, 
the most perfect climate of the world. It now boasts 
of a handsome church, a public reading-room, a large 
hotel, the barracks and about twenty private residences. 

The adjacent country, of comparatively table land, 
occupies an extent of some thirty miles in length, vary- 
ing in altitude from 6200 to 7000 feet, forming a base 
for the highest peaks in Ceylon, which raise to nearly 
9000 feet. 

Alternate large plains, separated by belts of forest, 
rapid rivers, waterfalls, precipices and panoramic views 
of boundless extent, form the features of this country, 
which, combined with the sports of the place, render a 
residence at Newera Ellia a life of health, luxury and 
independence. 



Newer a Ellia. 35 

The high road from Colombo passes over the moun- 
tains through Newera Ellia to Badulla, from which lat- 
ter place there is a bridle-road, through the best shoot- 
ing districts in Ceylon, to the seaport town of Battica- 
loa, and from thence to Trincomalee. The relative dis- 
tances of Newera Ellia are, from Galle, 185 miles; 
from Colombo, 115 miles; from Kandy, 47 miles; 
from Badulla, 36 miles ; from Batticaloa, 148 miles, 
Were it not for the poverty of the soil, Newera Ellia 
would long ago have become a place of great import- 
ance, as the climate is favorable to the cultivation of all 
English produce ; but an absence of lime in the soil, 
and the cost of applying it artificially, prohibit the cul- 
tivation of all grain, and restrict the produce of the 
land to potatoes and other vegetables. Nevertheless, 
many small settlers earn a good subsistence, although 
this has latterly been rendered precarious hy the appear- 
ance of the well-known potato disease. 

Newera Ellia has always been a favorite place of re- 
sort during the fashionable months, from the commence- 
ment of January to the middle of May. At that time 
the rainy season commences, and visitors rapidly disap- 
pear. 

All strangers remark the scanty accommodation 
afforded to the numerous visitors. To see the number 
of people riding and walking round the Newera Ellia 
plain, it appears a inarvel how they can be housed in 
the few dwellings that exist. There is an endless sup- 
ply of fine timber in the forests, and powerful saw-mills 
are already erected ; but the island is, like its soil, 
" poor." Its main staple, " coffee," does not pay suf- 
ficiently to enable the proprietors of estates to indulge 
in the luxury of a house at Newera Ellia. Like many 



36 The Rijle aiid Hound hi Ceylon. 

watering-places in England, it is overcrowded at 
one season and deserted at another, the only perma- 
nent residents being comprised in the commandant, the 
officer in command of the detachment of troops, the 
government agent, the doctor, the clergyman and our 
own family. 

Dull enough ! some persons may exclaim ; and so it 
would be to any but a sportsman ; but the jungles teem 
with large game, and Newera EUia is in a central posi- 
tion, as the best sporting country is only three days' 
journey, or one hundred miles, distant. Thus, at any 
time, the guns may be packed up, and, with tents and 
baggage sent on some days in advance, a fortnight's or 
a month's v^^ar may be carried on against the elephants 
without much trouble. 

The turn-out for elk-hunting during the fashionable 
season at Newera Ellia is sometimes peculiarly exciting. 
The air is keen and frosty, the plains snow-white with 
the crisp hoar frost, and even at the early hour of 6 a.m. 
parties of ladies may be seen urging their horses round 
the plain on their way to the appointed meet. Here 
we are waiting with the anxious pack, perhaps bless- 
ing some of our more sleep}'- friends for not turning out 
a little earlier. Party after party arrives, including 
many of the fair sex, and the rosy tips to all counten- 
ances attest the quality of the cold even in Ceylon. 

There is something peculiarly inspiriting in the early 
hour of sunrise upon these mountains — an indescribable 
lightness in the atmosphere, owing to the great eleva- 
tion, which takes a wonderful effect upon the spirits. 
The horses and the hounds feel its influence in an 
equal degree ; the former, who are perhaps of sober 
character in the hot climate, now champ the bit and 



Elk-Himting. 35 

paw the ground : their owners hardly know them by 
the change. 

We have frequently mustered as many as thirty horses 
at a meet ; but on these occasions a picked spot is chosen 
where the sport may be easily witnessed by those who 
are unaccustomed to it. The horses may, in these in- 
stances, be available, but as a rule they are perfectly 
useless in elk-hunting, as the plains are so boggy that 
they would be hock-deep every quarter of a mile. 
Thus no person can thoroughly enjoy elk-hunting who 
is not well accustomed to it, as it is a sport conducted 
entirely on foot, and the thinness of the air in this ele- 
vated region is very trying to the lungs in hard exercise. 
Thoroughly sound in wind and limb, with no super- 
fluous flesh, must be the man who would follow the 
hounds in this wild country — through jungles, rivers, 
plains and deep ravines, sometimes from sunrise to sun- 
set without tasting food since the previous evening, with 
the exception of a cup of coffee and piece of toast before 
starting. It is trying work, but it is a noble sport : no 
weapon but the hunting-knife ; no certainty as to the 
character of the game that may be found ; it may be 
either an elk, or ^ boar, or a leopard, and yet the knif# 
and the good hounds are all that can be trusted in. 

It is a glorious sport certainly to a man who thoroughly 
understands it ; the voice of every hound familiar to his 
ear, the particular kind of game that is found is at once 
known to him long before he is in view by the style of 
the hunting. If an elk is found, the hounds follow with 
a burst straight as a line, and at a killing pace, directly 
up the hill, till he at length turns and bends his head- 
long course for some stronghold in a deep river to bay. 
Listening to the hounds till certain of their course, a 
4 



38 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

thorough knowledge of the country at once tells the 
huntsman of their destination, and away he goes. 

He tightens his belt by a hole, and steadily he starts 
at a long, swinging trot, having made up his mind for 
a day of it. Over hills and valleys, through tangled 
and pathless forests, but all well known to him, steady 
he goes at the same pace on the level, easy through the 
bogs and up the hills, extra steam down hill, and stop- 
ping for a moment to listen for the hounds on every 
elevated spot. At length he hears them ! No, it was 
a bird. Again he fancies that he hears a distant sound 
— was it the wind ? No ; there it is — it is old Smut's 
voice — he is at bay ! Yoick to him ! he shouts till his 
lungs are wellnigh cracked, and through thorns and 
jungles, bogs and ravines, he rushes toward the wel- 
come sound. Thick-tangled bushes armed with a 
thousand hooked thorns suddenly arrest his course ; it 
is the thick fringe of underwood that borders every 
forest ; — the open plain is within a few yards of him. 
The hounds in a mad chorus are at bay, and the 
woods ring again with the cheering sound. Nothing 
can stop him now — thorns, or clothes, or flesh must 
go — something must give way as he bursts through 
them and stands upon the plain. 

There they are in that deep pool formed by the river 
as it sweeps round the rock. A buck ! a noble fellow ! 
Now he charges at the hounds, and strikes the foremos'; 
beneath the water with his fore-feet ; up they come 
again to the surface — they hear their master's well- 
known shout — they look round and see his welcome 
figure on the steep bank. Another moment, a tre- 
mendous splash, and he is among his hounds, and all 
are swimming toward tlieir noble game. At them he 



Elk :' timed to Bay. 3^ 

comes with a fierce rush. Avoid him as you best can, 
ye hunters, man and hounds ! 

Down the river the buck now swims, sometimes gal- 
loping over the shallows, sometimes wading shoulder- 
deep, sometimes swimming through the deep pools. 
Now he dashes down the fierce rapids and leaps the 
opposing rocks between which the torrent rushes at a 
frightful pace. The hounds are after him ; the roaring 
of the water joins in their wild chorus ; the loud holloa 
of the huntsman is heard above every sound as he 
cheers the pack on. He runs along the bank of the 
river, and again the enraged buck turns to bay. He 
has this time taken a strong position : he stands in a 
swift rapid about two feet deep ; his thin legs cleave 
the stream as it rushes past, and every hound is swept 
away as he attempts to stem the current. He is a 
perfect picture : his nostrils are distended, his mane is 
bristled up, his eyes flash, and he adds his loud bark 
of defiance to the din around him. The hounds can- 
not touch him. Now for the huntsman's part : he calls 
the stanchest seizers to his side, gives them a cheer on 
and steps into the torrent, knife in hand. Quick a-s 
lightning the buck springs to the attack ; but he has 
exposed himself, and at that moment the tall lurchers 
are upon his ears ; the huntsman leaps apon one side 
and plunges the knife behind his shoulder. A tres 
mendous struggle takes place — the whole pack is upon 
him ; still his dying efforts almost free him from their 
hold : a mass of spray envelops the whole scene. 
Suddenly he falls — he dies — it is all over. The hounds 
are called off', and are carefully examined for wounds. 

The huntsman is now perhaps some miles from home ; 
he, therefore, cuts a long pole, and tying a large bunch 



40 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

of grass to one end, he sticks the other end into the 
ground close to the river's edge where the elk is lying. 
This marks the spot. He calls his hounds together 
and returns homeward, and afterward sends men tc 
cut the buck up and bring him home. Elk venison is 
very good, but is at all times more like beef than En- 
glish venison. 

The foregoing may be considered a general descrip- 
tion of elk-hunting, although the incidents of the sport 
necessarily vary considerably. 

The boar is our dangerous adversary, and he is easily 
known by the character of the run. The hounds seldom 
open with such a burst upon the scent as they do with 
an elk. The run is much slower ; he runs down this 
ravine and u]3 that, never going straight away, and he 
generally comes to bay after a run of ten minutes' 
duration. 

A boar alwaj^s chooses the very thickest part of the 
jungle as his position for a bay, and from this he makes 
continual rushes at the hounds. 

The huntsman approaches the scene of the combat, 
breaking his way with difficulty through the tangled 
jungle, until within about twenty yards of the bay. 
He now cheers the hounds on to the attack, and if 
they are worthy of their name, they instantly rush into 
the boar regardless of wounds. The huntsman is aware 
of the seizure by the grunting of the boar and the tre- 
mendous confusion in the thick jungle ; he immediately 
rushes to the assistance of the pack, knife in hand. 

A scene of real warfare meets his view — gaping 
wounds upon his best hounds, the boar rushing through 
the jungle covered with dogs, and he himself becomes 
the immediate object of his fury when observed. 



The Boar. 



41 



No time is to be lost. Keeping behind the boar if 
possible, he rushes to the bloody conflict, and drives 
the hunting-knife between the shoulders in the en- 
deavor to divide the spine. Should he happily effect 
this, the boar falls stone dead ; but if not, he repeats 
the thrust, keeping a good lookout for the animal's 
tusks. 

If the dogs v^-ere of not sufiicient courage to rush in 
and seize the boar when halloaed on, no man could ap- 
proach him in a thick jungle with only a hunting-knife, 
as he would in all probability have his insides ripped 
out at the first charge. The animal is wonderfully active 
and ferocious, and of immense power, constantly 
weighing 4 cwt. 

The end of nearly every good seizer is being killed 
by a boar. The better the dog the more likely he is to 
be killed, as he will be the first to lead the attack, and 
in thick jungle he has no chance of escaping from a 
wound. 
4* 



CHAPTER III. 



MiNNERiA Lake — Brush with a Bull — An Awkward Vis- 
a-vis — A Bright Thought — Bull Buffalo Receives his 
Small Change — What is Man ? — Long Shot with the 
Four-ounce — Charged by a Herd of Buffaloes — the 
Four-ounce does Service — The "Lola" — A Woman 
Killed by a Crocodile — Crocodile at Bolgodde Lake 
— A Monster Crocodile — Death of a Crocodilk 

THE foregoing description may serve as an intro- 
duction to the hill-sports of Ceylon. One animal, 
however, yet remains to be described, v^ho surpasses all 
others in dogged ferocity w^hen once aroused. This is 
the " buffalo." 

The haunts of this animal are in the hottest parts of 
Ceylon. In the neighborhood of lakes, sw^amps and 
extensive plains the buffalo exists in large herds ; v^'al- 
lowing in the soft mire, and passing two-thirds of his 
time in. the water itself, he may be almost termed 
amphibious- 
He is about the size of a large ox, of immense bone 
and strength, very active, and his hide is almost free 
from hair, giving a disgusting appearance to his India- 
rubber-like skin. He carries his head in a peculiar 
manner, the horns thrown back, and his nose projecting 
on a level with his forehead, thus securing himself from 
a front shot in a fatal part. This renders him a dan- 
42 



Min7ieria Lake. 43 

gerous enemy, as he will receive any number of balls 
from a small gun in the throat and chest without evin- 
cing the least symptom of distress. The shoulder is the 
acknowledged point to aim at, but from his disposition 
to face the guns this is a difficult shot to obtain. Should 
he succeed in catching his antagonist, his fury knows no 
bounds, and he gores his victim to death, trampling and 
kneeling upon him till he is satisfied that life is extinct. 

This sport would not be very dangerous in the forests, 
where the buffalo could be easily stalked, and where 
escape would also be rendered less difficult in case of 
accident ; but as he is generally met with upon the open 
plains free from a single tree, he must be killed when 
once brought to bay, or he will soon exhibit his qualifi- 
cations for mischief. There is a degree of uncertainty in 
their character, which much increases the danger of the 
pursuit. A buffalo may retreat at first sight with every 
symptom of cowardice, and thus induce a too eager 
pursuit, when he will suddenly become the assailant. 
I cannot explain their character better than by describing 
the first wild buflfaloes that I ever saw. 

I had not been long in Ceylon, but having arrived in 
the island for the sake of its wild sports, I had not been 
idle, and I had already made a considerable bag of large 
game. Like most novices, however, I was guilty of 
one great fault. I despised the game, and gave no 
heed to the many tales of danger and hairbreadth 
escapes which attended the pursuit of wild animals. 
This carelessness on my part arose from my first debut, 
having been extremely lucky ; most shots had told well, 
and the animal had been killed with such apparent 
ease that I had learnt to place an implicit reliance 
in the rifle. The real fact was, that I was like many 



44 The Rifle and Hotmd in Ceylon. 

others ; I had slaughtered a number of animals without 
understanding their habits, and I was 2:)erfectly ignorant 
of the sport. This is now many years ago, and it was 
then, my first visit to the island. Some places that were 
good spots for shooting in those days have since that 
time been much disturbed, and are now no longer at- 
tractive to my eyes. One of these places is Minneria 
Lake. 

I was on a shooting trip accompanied by my brother, 
whom I will designate as B. We had passed a toil- 
some day in pushing and dragging our ponies for twenty 
miles along a narrow path through thick jungle, which 
half a dozen natives in advance were opening before us 
with bill-hooks. This had at one time been a good 
path, but was then overgrown. It is now an acknow- 
ledged bridle-road. 

At 4 P.M., and eighty miles from Kandy, we emerged 
from the jungle, and the view of Minneria Lake burst 
upon us, fully repaying us for our day's march. It was 
a lovely afternoon. The waters of the lake, which is 
twenty miles in circumference, were burnished by the 
setting sun. The surrounding plains were as green as 
an English meadow, and beautiful forest trees bordered 
the extreme boundaries of the plains like giant warders 
of the adjoining jungle. Long promontories densely 
wooded stretched far into the waters of the lake, form- 
ing sheltered nooks and bays teeming with wild fowl. 
The deer browsed in herds on the wide extent of plain, 
or lay beneath the shade of the spreading branches. Every 
feature of lovely scenery was here presented. In some 
spots groves of trees grew to the very water's edge ; in 
others the wide plains, free from a single stem or busl\, 
stretched for miles along the edge of the lake ; thickly 



Minneria Lake, AC 

wooded hills bordered the extreme end of its waters, 
and distant blue mountains mingled their dim summits 
with the clouds. 

It was a lovely scene, which we enjoyed in silence, 
while our ponies feasted upon the rich grass. 

The village of Minneria was three miles farther on, 
and our coolies, servants and baggage were all far 
behind us. We had, therefore, no rifles or guns at 
hand, except a couple of shot-guns, which were carried 
by our horsekeepers : for these we had a few balls. 

For about half an hour we waited in the impatient 
expectation of the arrival of our servants with the rifles. 
The afternoon was wearing away, and they did not 
appear. We could wait no longer, but determined to 
take a stroll and examine the country. We therefore 
left our horses and proceeded. 

The grass was most verdant, about the height of a 
field fit for the scythe in England, but not so thick. 
From this the snipe arose at every twenty or thirty 
paces, although the ground was perfectly dry. Crossing 
a large meadow, and skirting the banks of the lake, from 
which the ducks and teal rose in large flocks, we entered 
a long neck of jungle which stretched far into the lake. 
This was not above two hundred paces in width, and 
we soon emerged upon an extensive plain bordered by 
fine forest, the waters of the lake stretching far away 
upon our left, like a sheet of gold. A few large rocks 
rose above the surface near the shore ; these were cov- 
ered with various kinds of wild-fowl. The principal 
tenants of the plain were wild buffaloes. 

A herd of about a hundred were lying in a swampy 
hollow about a quarter of a mile from us. Several sin- 
gle bulls were dotted about the green surface of the 



46 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

level plain, and on the opposite shores of the lake were 
many dark patches undistinguishable in the distance ; 
these were in reality herds of buffaloes. There was 
not a sound in the wide expanse before us, except the 
harsh cry of the water-fowl that our presence had 
already disturbed — not a breath of air moved the leaves 
of the trees which shaded us — and the whole scene 
was that of undisturbed nature. The sun had now sunk 
low upon the horizon, and the air was comparatively 
cool. The multitude of buffaloes enchanted us, and 
with our two light double-barrels we advanced to the 
attack of the herd before us. 

We had not left the obscurity of the forest many sec- 
onds before we were observed. The herd started up 
from their muddy bed and gazed at us with astonish- 
ment. It was a fair open plain of some thousand acres, 
bounded by the forest which we had just quitted on the 
one side, and by the lake on the other ; thus there was 
no cover for our advance, and all we could do was to 
push on. 

As we approached the herd they ranged up in a com- 
Bact body, presenting a very regular line in front. 
From this line seven large bulls stepped forth, and from 
their vicious appearance seemed disposed to show fight. 
In the mean time we were running up, and were soon 
within thirty paces of them. At this distance the main 
body of the herd suddenly wheeled round and thundered 
across the plain in full retreat. One of the bulls at the 
same moment charged straight at us, but when within 
twenty paces of the guns he turned to one side and 
instantly received two balls in the shoulder, B. and I 
having fired at the same moment. As luck would have 
it, his blade-bone was thus broken, and he fell upon his 



jB^'ush "with a Bull, 47 

knees, but recovering himself in an instant he retreated 
on three legs to the water. 

We now received assistance from an unexpected 
quarter. One of the large bulls, his companions, 
charged after him with great fury, and soon overtaking 
the wounded beast, he struck him full in the side, throw- 
ing him over with a great shock on the muddy border 
of the lake. Here the wounded animal lay unable to 
rise, and his conqueror commenced a slow retreat across 
the plain. 

Leaving B. to extinguish the wounded buffalo, I gave 
chase to the retreating bull. At an easy canter he 
would gain a hundred paces, and then turning, he 
would face me ; throwing his nose up, and turning his 
head to one side with a short grunt, he would advance 
quickly for a few paces, and then again retreat as I 
continued to approach. 

In this manner he led me a chase of about a mile 
along the banks of the lake, but he appeared deter- 
mined not to bring the fight to an issue at close quarters. 
Cursing his cowardice, I fired a long shot at him, and 
reloading with m.y last spare ball, I continued the chase, 
led on by ignorance and excitement. 

The lake in one part stretched in a narrow creek into 
the plain, and the bull now directed his course into the 
angle formed by this turn. I thought that I had him in 
a corner, and, redoubling my exertions, I gained upon 
him considerably. He retreated slowly to the very 
edge of the creek, and I had gained so fast upon him 
that I was not thirty paces distant when he plunged into 
the water and commenced swimming across the creek. 
This was not more than sixty yards in breadth, and I 
knew that I could now bring: him to action. 



48 The Rifle and Hound z?z Ceylon. 

Running round the borders of the creek as fast as I 
could, I arrived at the opposite side on his intended 
landing-place just as his black form reared from the 
deep water and gained the shallows, into vv^hich I had 
waded knee-deep to meet him. I now experienced 
that pleasure as he stood sullenly eyeing me within 
fifteen paces. Poor stupid fellow ! I would willingly, 
in my ignorance, have betted ten to one upon the shot, 
so certain was I of his death in another instant. 

I took a quick but steady aim at his chest, at the 
point of connection with the throat. The smoke of the 
barrel passed to one side ; — there he stood — he had not 
flinched ; he literally had not moved a muscle. The 
only change that had taken place was in his eye ; this, 
which had hitherto been merely sullen, was now beam- 
ing with fury ; but his form was as motionless as a 
statue. A stream of blood poured from a wound 
within an inch of the spot at which I had aimed ; had 
it not been for this fact, I should not have believed him 
struck. 

Annoyed at the failure of the shot, I tried him with 
the left-hand barrel at the same hole. The report of 
the gun echoed over the lake, but there he stood as 
though he bore a charmed life ; — an increased flow of 
blood from the wound and additional lustre in his eye 
were the only signs of his being struck. 

I was now unloaded, and had not a single ball re- 
maining. It was now his turn. I dared not turn to 
retreat, as I knew he would immediately charge, and 
we stared each other out of countenance. 

With a short grunt he suddenly sprung forward, but 
fortunately, as I did not move, he halted : he had, how- 
ever, decreased his distance, and we now gazed at each 



A Bright Thought. 49 

other within ten paces. I began to think buffalo-shoot- 
ing somewhat dangerous, and I would have given 
something to have been a mile away, but ten times as 
much to have had m)'- four-ounce rifle in my hand. 
Oh how I longed for that rifle in this moment of sus- 
pense ! Unloaded, without the power of defence, with 
the absolute certainty of a charge from an overpower- 
ing brute, my hand instinctively found the handle of 
my hunting-knife, a useless weapon against such a foe. 

Knowing that B. was not aware of my situation at 
the distance which sejparated us (about a mile), with- 
out taking my eyes from the figure before me I raised 
my hand to my mouth and gave a long and loud whistle ; 
this was a signal that I knew would be soon answered 
if heard. 

With a stealthy step and another short grunt, tlie 
bull again advanced a couple of paces toward me. 
He seemed aware of my helplessness, and he was the 
picture of rage and fury, pawing the water and stamp- 
ing violently with his fore-feet. 

This was very pleasant ! I gave myself up for lost, 
but putting as fierce an expression into my features as 
I could possibly assume, I stared hopelessly at my mad- 
dened antagonist. 

Suddenly a bright thought flashed through my mind. 
Without taking my eyes ofl'the animal before me, I put 
a double charge of powder down the right-hand barrel, 
and, tearing off a piece of my shirt, I took all the money 
from my pouch, three shillings in sixpenny pieces, and 
two anna pieces, which I luckily had with me in this 
small coin for paying coolies. Quickly making them 
into a rouleau with the piece of rag, I rammed them 
down the barrel, and they were hardly well home 
6 D 



50 The Rifle and Hou7id in Ceyldn 

before the bull again sprang forward. So quick was 
it that I had no time to replace the ramrod, and I 
threw it in the water, bringing my gun on full cock in 
the same instant. However, he again halted, being 
now within about seven paces from me, and we ag^in 
gazed fixedly at each other, but with altered feelings on 
my part. I had faced him hopelessly with an empty 
gun for more than a quarter of an hour, which seemed 
a century. I now had a charge in my gun, which I 
knew if reserved till he was within a foot of the muzzle 
would certainly floor him, and I awaited his onset with 
comparative carelessness, still keeping my eyes opposed 
to his gaze. 

At this moment I heard a splashing in the water be- 
hind me, accompanied by the hard breathing of some- 
thing evidently distressed. The next moment I heard 
B.'s voice. He could hardly speak for want of breath, 
having run the whole way to my rescue, but I could 
understand that he had only one barrel loaded and no 
bullets left. I dared not turn my face from the buflalo, 
but I cautioned B. to reserve his fire till the bull should 
be close into me, and then to aim at the head. 

The words were hardly uttered, when, with the totv- 
centrated rage of the last twenty minutes, he rushed 
straight at me. It was the work of an instant. B. 
fired without effect. The horns were lowered, their 
points were on either side of me, and the muzzle of the 
gun barely touched his forehead when I pulled the 
trigger, and three shillings' worth of small change 
rattled into his hard head. Down he went, and rolled 
over with the suddenly checked momentum of'^'iiis 
charge. Away went B. and I as fast as our heels 
would carry us, through the water and over the plain, 



What ts Man? 51 

knowing that he was not dead but only stunned. 
There was a large fallen tree about half a mile from 
us, whose whitened branches rising high above the 
ground offered a tempting asylum. To this we directed 
our flying steps, and after a run of a hundred yards, we 
turned and looked behind us. He had regained his 
feet and was following us slowly. We now experi- 
enced the difference of feeling between hunting and 
being hunted, and fine sport we must have afibrded 
him. 

On he came, but fortunately so stunned by the col- 
lision with her Majesty's features upon the coin which 
he had dared to oj^pose that he could only reel forward 
at a slow canter. By degrees even this pace slackened, 
and he fell. We were only too glad to be able to re- 
duce our speed likewise, but we had no sooner stopped 
to breathe than he was again up and after us. At 
length, however, we gained the tree and we beheld 
him with satisfaction stretched powerless upon the 
ground, but not dead, within two hundred yards of us. 

We retreated under cover of the forest to the spot at 
which we had left the horses, fortunately meeting no 
opposition from wild animals, and we shortly arrived 
at the village at which we took up our quarters, vowing 
vengeance on the following morning for the defeat that 
we had sustained. 

A man is a poor defenceless wretch if left to defend 
himself against wild animals with the simple natural 
weapon of arms, legs and teeth. A tom-cat would 
almost be a match for him. He has legs which will 
neither serve him for pursuit or escape if he is forced 
to trust only in his speed. He has strength of limb, 
which is useless without some artificial weapon. He 



52 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

is an animal, who, without the power of reason, could 
not even exist in a wild state ; his brain alone gives 
him the strength to support his title of a lord of the 
creation. 

Nevertheless, a lord of the creation does not appear 
in much majesty when running for his life from an in- 
furiated buffalo — the assumed title sits uneasily upon 
him when, with scarcely a breath left in his body, he 
struggles along till he is ready to drop with fatigue, ex- 
pecting to be overtaken at every step. We must cer- 
tainly have exhibited poor specimens of the boasted 
sway of man over the brute creation could a stranger 
have witnessed our flight on this occasion. 

The next morning we were up at day-break, and we 

returned to the battle-field of the previous evening in 

the full expectation of seeing our wounded antagonist 

<!«i<. , Ivina: dead where we had left him. In this we were 

^"disappointed — he was gone, and we never saw him 

again. 

I now had my long two-ounce and my four-ounce 
rifles with me, and I was fully prepared for a deep re- 
venge for the disgrace of yesterday. 

The morning was clear but cloudy ; a heavy thunder- 
storm during the night had cooled the air, and the 
whole plain was glistening with bright drops ; the pea- 
cocks were shrieking from the tree-tops and spreading 
their gaudy plumage to the cool breeze ; and the whole 
face of nature seemed refreshed. We felt the same in- 
vigorating spirit, and we took a long survey of the 
many herds of buffaloes upon the plain before we could 
determine which we should first attack. 

A large single bull, who had been lying in a swampy 
hollow unobserved by us, suddenly sprang up at about 



Long Shot with the Four-ounce. 53 

three hundred yards distance and slowly cantered off. 
I tried the long two-ounce rifle at him, but, taking too 
great an elevation, I fired over him. The report, how- 
ever, had the effect of turning him, and, instead of re- 
treating, he wheeled round and attempted to pass 
between the guns and the banks of the lake. We were 
about three hundred yards from the water's edge, and 
he was soon passing us at full gallop at right-angles 
about mid-way or a hundred and fifty yards distant. 

I had twelve drachms of powder in the four-ounce 
rifle, and I took a flying shot at his shoulder. No 
visible effect was produced, and the ball ricochetted 
completely across the broad surface of the lake (which 
was no more than a mile wide at this part) in con- 
tinuous splashes. The gun-bearers said I had fired 
behind him, but I had distinctly heard the peculiar 
" fut" which a ball makes upon striking an animal, and 
although the passage of the ball across the lake ap- 
peared remarkable, nevertheless I felt positive that it 
had first passed through some portion of the animal. 

Away the bull sped over the plain at unabated speed 
for about two hundred paces, when he suddenly turned 
and charged toward the guns. On he came for about 
a hundred yards, but evidently slackening his speed at 
every stride. At length he stopped altogether. His 
mouth was wide open, and I could now distinguish a 
mass of bloody foam upon his lips and nostrils — the ball 
had in reality passed through his lungs, and, making its 
exit from the opposite shoulder, it had even then flown 
across the lake. This was the proof of the effect of 
the twelve drachms of powder. 

Having reloaded, I now advanced toward him, and 
soon arrived within fifty paces. He was the facsimile 
6* 



CA The JRifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

of the bull that had chased us on the previous day— 
the same picture of fury and determination ; and, 
crouching low, he advanced a few paces, keeping his 
eyes fixed upon us as though we were already his own. 

A short cough, accompanied by a rush of blood from 
his mouth, seemed to cause him great uneasiness, and 
he halted. 

Again we advanced till within twenty paces of 
him. I would not fire, as I saw that he already had 
enough, and I wished to see how long he could support 
a wound through the lungs, as my safety in buffalo- 
shooting might in future depend upon this knowledge. 

The fury of his spirit seemed to war with death, and, 
although reeling with weakness and suffocation, he 
again attempted to come on. It was his last effort ; his 
eyes rolled convulsively, he gave a short grunt of impo- 
tent rage, and the next moment he fell upon his back, 
with his heels in the air ; he was stone dead and game 
to the last moment. 

I had thus commenced a revenge for the insult of yes- 
terday ; I had proved the wonderful power of the four- 
ounce rifle — a weapon destined to make great havoc 
amongst the heavy game of Ceylon. 

Upon turning from the carcass before us, we observed 
to our surprise that a large herd of buffaloes, that were 
at a great distance when we had commenced the attack 
upon the bull, had now approached to within a few hun- 
dred yards, and were standing in a dense mass, atten- 
tively watching us. Without any delay we advanced 
toward them, and, upon arriving within about a hun- 
dred paces, we observed that the herd was headed by 
two large bulls, one of which was the largest that I had 
ever seen. The whole herd was bellowing and paw- 



Charged by a Hei'-d of Buffaloes. 55 

ing the ground. They had winded the blood of the 
dead bull and appeared perfectly maddened. 

We continued to advance, and we were within about 
ninety paces of them when suddenly the whole herd 
of about two hundred buffaloes, headed by the two bulls 
before noticed, dashed straight toward us at full gallop. 
vSo simultaneous was the onset that it resembled a sud- 
den charge of cavalry, and the ground vibrated beneath 
their heavy hoofs. Their tails were thrown high above 
their backs, and the mad and overpowering phalanx of 
heads and horns came rushing forward as though to 
sweep us at once from the face of the earth. 

There was not an instant to be lost ; already but a 
short space intervened between us and apparently cer- 
tain destruction. Our gun-bearers were almost in the 
act of flight ; but catching hold of the man who carried 
the long two-ounce rifle, and keeping him by my side, 
I awaited the irresistible onset with the four-ounce. 

The largest of the bulls was some yards in advance, 
closely followed by his companion, and the herd in a 
compact mass came thundering down at their heels. 
Only fifty yards separated us ; we literally felt among 
them, and already experienced a sense of being over- 
run. I did not look at the herd, but I kept my eye upon 
the big bull leader. On they flew, and were within 
thirty paces of us when I took a steady shot with the 
four-ounce, and the leading bull plunged headforemost 
in the turf, turning a complete summersault. Snatching 
the two-ounce from the petrified gun-bearer, I had just 
time for a shot as the second bull was within fifteen 
paces, and at the flash of the rifle his horns ploughed 
up the turf, and he lay almost at our feet. That lucky 
shot turned the whole herd. When certain destruction 



56 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 

threatened us, they suddenly wheeled to their left when 
within twenty paces of the guns, and left us astonished 
victors of the field. We poured an ineffectual volley 
into the retreating herd from the light guns as they gal- 
loped off in full retreat, and reloaded as quickly as 
possible, as the two bulls, although floored, were still 
alive. They were, however, completely powerless, and 
a double-barreled gun gave each the coup de grace by a 
ball in the forehead. Both rifle shots had struck at the 
point of junction of the throat and chest, and the four- 
ounce ball had passed out of the hind quarter. Our 
friend of yesterday, although hit in precisely the same 
spot, had laughed at the light guns. 

Although I have since killed about two hundred wild 
buflaloes I have never witnessed another charge by a 
herd. This was an extraordinary occurrence, and for- 
tunately stands alone in buffalo-shooting. Were it not 
for the two heavy rifles our career might have ter- 
minated in an unpleasant manner. As I before men- 
tioned, this part of the country was seldom or ever 
disturbed at the time of which I write, and the buffaloes 
were immensely numerous and particularly savage, 
nearly always turning to bay and showing good sport 
when attacked. 

Having cut out the tongues from the two bulls, we 
turned homeward to breakfast. Skirting along the 
edge of the lake, which abounded with small creeks, 
occasioning us many circuits, we came suddenly upon 
a single bull, who, springing from his lair of mud and 
high grass, plunged into a creek, and, swimming across, 
exposed himself to a dead shot as he landed on the op- 
posite bank about a hundred paces from us. The four- 
ounce struck him in the hind quarters and broke the 



Cow Buffaloes. 57 

hip joint, and, continuing its course along his body, it 
pierced his lungs and lodged in the skin of the throat. 
The bull immediately fell, but regaining his feet he 
took to the water and swam to a small island of high 
grass about thirty yards from the shore. Upon gaining 
this he turned and faced us, but in a few seconds he fell 
unable to rise, and received a merciful shot in the head, 
which despatched him. 

We were just leaving the border of the lake on our 
way to the village when two cow buffaloes sprung 
up from one of the numerous inlets and retreated at 
full gallop toward the jungle, offering a splendid side 
shot at about a hundred paces. The leading cow 
plunged headforemost into the grass as the four-ounce 
struck her through both shoulders. She was a fine 
young cow, and we cut some steaks from her in case 
we should find a scarcity of provisions at Minneria, 
and, quitting the shores of the lake, we started for 
breakfast. 

It was only 8 a.m. when we arrived. I had bagged 
five buffaloes, four of which were fine bulls. Our re- 
venge was complete, and I had proved that the four- 
ounce was perfectly irresistible if held straight with the 
heavy charge of twelve drachms of powder. Since 
that time I have frequently used sixteen drachms (one 
ounce) of powder to the charge, but the recoil is then 
very severe, although the effect upon an animal with a 
four-ounce steel-tipped conical ball is tremendous. 

On our return to the village of Minneria we found a 
famous breakfast, for which a bath in the neighboring 
brook increased an appetite already sharpened by the 
morning exercise. The buffalo steaks were coarse and 
bad, as tough as leather, and certainly should never be 



58 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

eaten if better food can be obtained. The tongues are 
very rich, but require salting. 

In those days Minneria was not spoiled by visitors, 
and supplies were accordingly at a cheap rate — large 
fowls at one penny each, milk at any price that you 
chose to give for it. This is now much changed, and 
the only thing that is still ridiculously cheap is fish. 

Give a man sixpence to catch you as many as he can 
in the morning, and he forthwith starts on his pisca- 
torial errand with a large basket, cone shaped, of two 
feet diameter at the bottom and about eight inches at 
the top. This basket is open at both ends and is abqut 
two feet in length. 

The fish that is most sought after is the " lola." He 
is a ravenous fellow, in appearance between a trout and 
a carp, having the habits of the former, but the clumsy 
shoulders of the latter. He averages about three 
pounds, although he is often caught of nine or ten 
pounds weight. Delighting in the shallows, he lies 
among the weeds at the bottom, to which he always 
retreats when disturbed. Aware of his habits, the 
fisherman walks knee deep in the water, and at every 
step he plunges the broad end of the basket quickly to 
the bottom. He immediately feels the fish strike against 
the sides, and putting his hand down through the aper- 
ture in the top of the basket he captures him and de- 
posits him in a basket slung on his back. 

These " lola" are delicious eating, being very like aii 
eel in flavor, and I have known one man catch forty in 
a morning with no other apparatus than this basket. 

Minneria Lake, like all others in Ceylon, swarms 
with crocodiles of a very large size. Early in the 
morning and late in the evening they may be seen lying 



The Crocodile. 59 

upon the banks like logs of trees. I have frequently 
remarked that a buffalo, shot within a few yards of the 
lake, has invariably disappeared during the night, 
leaving an undoubted track where he has been dragged 
to the water by the crocodiles. These brutes frequently 
attack the natives when fishing or bathing, but I have 
never heard of their pursuing any person upon dry 
land. 

I remember an accident having occurred at Madampi, 
on the west coast of Ceylon, about seven years ago, the 
day before I passed through the village. A number of 
women were employed in cutting rushes for mat-mak- 
ing, and were about mid-deep in the water. The horny 
tail of a large crocodile was suddenly seen above the 
water among the group of women, and in another in- 
stant one of thein was seized by the thigh and dragged 
toward the deeper part of the stream. In vain the ter- 
rified creature shrieked for assistance ; the horror-stricken 
group had rushed to the shore, and a crowd of spectators 
on the bank offered no aid beyond their cries. It was 
some distance before the water deepened, and the un- 
fortunate creature was dragged for many yards, some- 
times beneath the water, sometimes above the surface, 
rending the air with her screams, until at length the 
deep water hid her from their view. She was never 
again seen. 

Some of these vermin grow to a very large size, at- 
taining the length of twenty feet and eight feet in girth, 
but the common size is fourteen feet. They move 
slowly upon land, but are wonderfully fast and active 
m the water. They commonly lie in wait for their 
prey under some hollow bank in a deep pool, and when 
the unsuspecting deer or even buftalo stoops his head 



6o The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon,. 

to drink he is suddenly seized by the nose and dragged 
beneath the water. Here he is speedily drowned and 
consumed at leisure. 

The two lower and front teeth of a crocodile project 
through the upper jaw, and their white points attract 
immediate notice as they protrude through the brown 
scales on the upper lip. When the mouth is closed the 
jaws are thus absolutely locked together. 

It is a common opinion that the scales on the back 
of a crocodile will turn a ball ; this is a vulgar error. 
The scales are very tough and hard, but a ball from a 
common fowling-piece will pass right through the body. 
I have even seen a hunting-knife driven at one blow deep 
into the hardest part of the back ; and this was a croc- 
odile of a large size, about fourteen feet long, that I 
shot at a place called Bolgodd6, twenty-two miles from 
Colombo. 

A man had been setting nets for fish and was in the 
act of swimming to the shore, when he was seized and 
drowned by a crocodile. The next morning two buf- 
faloes were dragged into the water close to the 'spot, 
and it was supposed that these murders were committed 
by the same crocodile. I was at Colombo at the time, 
and hearing of the accident, I rode off to Bolgodde to 
try my hand at catching him. 

Bolgodde is a very large lake of many miles in cir- 
cumference, abounding with crocodiles, widgeon, teal 
and ducks. 

On arrival that evening, the moodeliar (headman) 
pointed out the spot where the man had been destroyed 
and where the buffaloes had been dragged in by the 
crocodile. One buffalo had been entirely devoured, 
but the other had merely lost his head, and his carcase 



C't'ocodile at Bolgodde Lake. 6l 

was floating in a horrible state of decomposition near 
the bank. It was nearly dark, so I engaged a small 
canoe to be in readiness by break of day. 

Just as the light streaked the horizon I stepped into 
the canoe. This required some caution, as it was the 
smallest thing that can be conceived to support two 
persons. It consisted of the hollow trunk of a tree six 
fet2t in length and about one foot in diameter. A small 
outrigger prevented it from upsetting, but it was not an 
inch from the surface of the water when I took my 
narrow seat, and the native in the stern paddled care- 
fully toward the carcase of the buffalo. 

Upon approaching within a hundred yards of the 
floating carcase, I counted five forms within a few yards 
of the flesh. These objects were not above nine inches 
square and appeared like detached pieces of rough 
bark. I knev/ them to be the foreheads of different 
crocodiles, and presently one moved toward the half- 
consumed bufialo. His long head and shoulders pro- 
jected from the water as he attempted to fix his fore- 
elaws into the putrid flesh ; this, however, rolled over 
toward him, and prevented him from getting a hold ; 
but the gaping jaws nevertheless made a wide breach 
in the buftalo's flank. I was now within thirty yards 
of them, and, being observed, they all dived immediately 
to the bottom. 

The carcase v/as lying within a few yards of the 
bank, where the water was extremely deep and clear. 
Several large trees grew close to the edge and formed 
a good hiding-place ; I therefore landed, and, sending 
the canoe to a distance, I watched the water. 

I had not been five minutes in this position before I 
saw in the water at my feet, in a deep hole close to the 
6 



62 The Rijie and Hound i7i Ceylon, 

bank, the immense form of a crocodile as he was slowly 
rising from his hiding-place to the surface. He ap- 
peared to be about eighteen feet long, and he projected 
his horny head from the surface, bubbled, and then 
floated with only his forehead and large eyes above the 
water. He was a horrible-looking monster, and from 
his size I hoped he was the villain that had committed 
the late depredations. He was within three yards of 
me ; and, although I stood upon the bank, his great 
round eyes gazed at me without a symptom of fear. 
The next moment I put a two-ounce ball exactly 
between them and killed him stone dead. He gave a 
convulsive slap with his tail, which made the water 
foam, and, turning upon his back, he gradually sunk, 
till at length I could only distinguish the long line of 
his white belly twenty feet below me. 

Not having any apparatus for bringing him to the 
surface, I again took to the canoe, as a light breeze 
that had sprung up was gradually moving the carcass 
of the buffalo away. This I slowly followed until it at 
length rested in a wide belt of rushes which grew upon 
the shallows near the shore. I pushed the canoe into 
the rushes within four yards of the carcass, keeping to 
windward to avoid the sickening smell. 

I had not been long in this position before the body 
suddenly rolled over as though attacked by something 
underneath the water, and the next moment the tall reeds 
brushed against the sides of the canoe, being violently agi- 
tated in a long line, evidently by a crocodile at the bottom. 

The native in the stern grew as pale as a black can 
turn with fright, and instantly began to paddle the canoe 
away. This, however, I soon replaced in its former 
position, and then took his paddle away to p'revent fur- 



Death of a Crocodile. 63 

ther accidents. There sat the captain of the fragile 
vessel in the most abject state of terror. We were close 
to the shore, and the water was not more than three 
feet deep, and yet he dared not jump out of the canoe, 
as the rushes were again brushing against its sides, 
being moved by the hidden beast at the bottom. There 
was no help for him, so, after Vainly imploring me to 
shove the canoe into deep water, he at length sat still. 

In a few minutes the body of the buffalo again moved, 
and the head and shoulders of a crocodile appeared 
above water and took a bite of some pounds of flesh. 
I could not get a shot at the head from his peculiar 
position, but I put a ball through his shoulders, and 
immediately shoved the canoe astern. Had I not done 
this we should most likely have been upset, as the 
wounded brute began to lash out with his tail in all 
directions, till he at length retired to the bottom among 
the rushes. Here I could easily track him, as he slowly 
moved along, by the movement of the reeds. Giving 
the native the paddle, I now by threats induced him to 
keep the canoe over the very spot where the rushes 
were moving, and we slowly followed on the track, 
while I kept watch in the bow of the canoe with a rifle. 

Suddenly the movement in the rushes ceased and the 
canoe stopped accordingly. I leaned slightly over the 
side to look into the water, when up came a large air- 
bubble, and directly afterward an apparition in the 
shape of som.e fifteen pounds of putrid flesh. The 
stench was frightful, but I knew my friend must be 
very bad down below to disgorge so sweet a morsel. I 
therefore took the paddle and poked for him ; the water 
being shallow 1 felt him immediately. Again the rushes 
moved ; I felt the paddle twist as his scaly back glided 



64 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

under it, and a pair of gaping jaws appeared above the 
water wide open and within two feet of the canoe. 
The next moment his head appeared, and the two-ounce 
ball shattered his brain. He sunk to the bottom, the 
rushes moved slightly and were then still. 

I now put the canoe ashore, and cutting a strong stick 
with a crook at one end, I' again put out to the spot and 
dragged for him. He was quite dead ; and catching 
him under the fore-leg, I soon brought him gently to 
the surface of the water. I now made fast a line to his 
fore-leg, and we towed him slowly to the village, the 
canoe being level with the water's edge. 

His weight in the water was a mere trifle, but on 
arrival at the village on the banks of the lake, the vil- 
lagers turned out with great glee and fastened ropes to 
different parts of his body to drag him out. This opera- 
tion employed about twenty men. The beast was about 
fourteen feet long ; and he was no sooner on shore than 
the natives cut him to pieces with axes and threw the 
sections into the lake to be devoured by his own species. 
This was a savage kind of revenge, which appeared to 
alFord them great satisfaction. 

Taking a large canoe, I paddled along the shores of 
the lake with a short gun, and made a good bag of 
ducks and teal, and returned to breakfasit The fatness 
and flavor of the wild ducks in Ceylon are quite equal to 
the best in England. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Equipment for a Hunting Trip — In Chase of a Herd op 
Buffaloes — Hard Work — Close Quarters — Six Feet 
FROM THE Muzzle — A Black with a Devil. 

THERE is one thing necessary to the enjoyment of 
sport in Ce3don, and without which no amount 
of game can afford thorough pleasure ; this is personal 
comfort. Unlike a temperate climate, where mere 
attendance becomes a luxury, the pursuit of game in a 
tropical country is attended with immense fatigue and 
exhaustion. The intense heat of the sun, the dense 
and suffocating exhalations from swamj^y districts, the 
constant and irritating attacks from insects, all form 
drawbacks to sport that can only be lessened by excel- 
lent servants and by the most perfect arrangements for 
shelter and supplies. I have tried all methods of trav- 
eling, and I generally manage to combine good sport 
with every comfort and convenience. 

A good tent, perfectly waterproof and of so light a 
construction as to travel with only two bearers, is abso- 
lutely indispensable. My tent is on the principle of an 
umbrella, fifteen feet in diameter, and will house three 
persons comfortably. A round table fits in two halves 
round the tent-pole ; three folding chairs have ample 
space ; three beds can be arranged round the tent 
walls ; the boxes of clothes, etc., stow under the beds ; 
6* B 65 



06 The .Rijie and Hoi^nd in Ceylon. 

and a dressing-table and gun-rack complete the furtii 
ture. 

Next in importance to the tent is a good canteen. 
Mine is made of japanned block tin, and contains in 
close-fitting compartments an entire dinner and break- 
fast service for three persons, including everything that 
can be required in an ordinary establishment. This is 
slung upon a bamboo, carried by two coolies. 

Clothes must always be packed in tin boxes, or the 
whole case will most likely be devoured by white 
ants. 

Cooking utensils must be carried in abundance, 
together with a lantern, an axe, a bill-hook, a tinder- 
box, matches, candles, oil, tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, 
wine, brandy, sauces, etc., a few hams, some tins of 
preserved meats and soups, and a few bottles of curacoa, 
a glass of which, in the early dawn after a cup of hot 
coffee and a biscuit, is a fine preparation for a day's 
work. 

I once tried the rough system of traveling, and 
started off with nothing but my guns, clothes, a box of 
biscuits and a few bottles of brandy — no bed, no pil- 
low, no tent or chairs or table, but, as my distressed 
servant said, " no nothing." This was many years ago, 
when the excitement of wild sports was sufficient to 
laugh at discomfort. I literally depended upon my gun 
for food, and my cooking utensils consisted of one 
saucepan and a gridiron, a " stew" and a "fry" being 
all that I looked forward to in the way of gourmandism. 
Sleeping on the bare ground in native huts, dining cross- 
legged upon mother earth, with a large leaf as a substi-' 
tute for a plate, a cocoa-nut shell for a glass, my hunt- 
ing-knife comprising all my cutlery, I thus passed 



In Chase of Elephants. . 67 

through a large district of wild country, accompanied 
by B., and I never had more exciting sport. 

It was on this occasion that I had a memorable hunt 
in the neighborhood of Norland^, within thirty miles 
of Kandy. It was our first day's stage, and, upon our 
arrival, at about 2 p. M., we left our guns at the post- 
holder's hut, while we proceeded to the river to bathe. 

We were hardly dressed before a native came run 
ning to tell us that several elephants were devouring 
his crop of korrakan — a grain something like clover- 
seed, upon which the people in this part almost entirely 
subsist. 

Without a moment's delay we sent for the guns. 
The post-holder was a good tracker, and a few minutes 
of sharp walking through a path bordered on either 
side by dense thorny jungle brought us to a ch^na jun- 
gle ground or cultivated field. The different watch- 
houses erected in the large trees were full of people, 
who were shrieking and yelling at the top of their 
voices, having just succeeded in scaring the elephants 
into the jungle. 

The whole of the country in this neighborhood has, 
in successive ages, been cleared and cultivated : the for- 
est has been felled. The poverty of the soil yields only 
one crop, and the lately cleared field is again restored to 
nature. Dense thorny jungle immediately springs up, 
which a man cannot penetrate without being torn to 
pieces by the briars. This is called chena jungle, and 
is always the favorite resort of elephants and all wild 
animals, the impervious character of the bush forming 
a secure retreat. 

From these haunts the elephants commit nocturnal 
descents upon the crops of the natives. The korrakan 



68 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

is a sweet grass, growing about two feet high, and so 
partial are the elephants to this food that they will in- 
vade the isolated field even during the day-time. Driven 
out by shouts and by shots fired by the natives from 
their secure watch-houses, they will retreat to their 
cover, but in a few minutes they will reappear from 
another part of the jungle and again commence their 
depredations. 

The havoc committed by a large herd of elephants 
can well be imagined. 

In this instance there were only three elephants — a 
large bull with a mother and her young one, or what we 
call a " poonchy." On entering the korrakan field we 
distinctly heard them breaking the boughs at no great 
distance. We waited for some time to see if they 
would return to the field ; but they apparently were 
aware of some impending danger, as they did not move 
from their strong position. This was a cunning family 
of elephants, as they had retreated " down wind," and 
the jungle being so thick that we could with difficulty 
follow even upon their track made it very doubtful 
whether we should kill them. 

We cautiously entered. It was one mass of thorns, 
and we were shortly compelled to crawl upon our 
hands and knees. This was arduous work, as we had 
great difficulty in carrying the guns so as to avoid the \ 
slightest noise. I was leading the way, and could dis- 
tinctly hear the rustling of the leaves as the elephants 
moved their ears. We were now within a few feet of 
them, but not an inch of their bodies could be seen, so 
effectually were they hidden by the thick jungle. Sud- 
denly we heard the prolonged wh-r-r, wh-r-r-r-r-r, as 
one of *he elephants winded us ; the shrill trumpet 



A Chase under Difficulties, 69 

sounded in another direction, and the crash through the 
jungle took place which nothing but an elephant can 
produce. In such dense jungle, where the elephants 
are invisible, this crash is most exciting if close at hand, 
as in the present instance. It is at the first burst impos- 
sible to tell whether the elephant is coming at you or 
rushing away. In either case it is extremely dangerous, 
as these ch6na jungles are almost devoid of trees ; thus 
there is no cover of sufficient strength to protect a man 
should he attempt to jump on one side, and he may even 
be run over bv accident. 

A few moments assured us of their retreat, and we 
instantly followed upon their track, running at full 
speed along the lane which they had crushed in their 
headlong flight. This was no easy matter ; the jungle 
itself was certainly broken down, but innumerable 
hooked thorns hanging from rope-like creepers which 
had been torn down by the rush of the elephants, 
caught us upon every side. In a few minutes our 
clothes were in rags, and we were bleeding from count- 
less scratches ; but we continued the chase as fast as we 
could run upon the track. The prickly cactus which 
abounds in these jungles and grows to the height of 
twenty feet, in some places checked us for a few mo- 
ments, being crushed into a heap by the horny-footed 
beasts before us. These obstacles overcome, we again 
pushed on at a rapid pace, occasionally listening for a 
sound of the retreating game. 

We now observed that the herd had separated ; the 
bull had gone off in one direction and the female with 
her half-grown poonchy in another. Following the lat- 
ter, we again pushed on at a quick run, as the elephants 
had evidently gone off at a great pace and were fa? in 



7o TTie Rifle and Hound in Ceylon^ 

advance. For about half an hour we had continued 
the pursuit at the same speed, when we suddenly heard 
the warning wh-r-r-r-r as the elephants winded us at a 
distance of 200 yards, and the crash instantly following 
this sound told us too plainly that the game was fear- 
fully on the alert, and gave us little hopes of overtaking 
them, as they were traveling directly down vi^ind. 

Speed was our only chance, and again we rushed 
forward in hot pursuit through the tangled briars, which 
yielded to our weight, although we were almost strip- 
ped of clothes. Another half hour passed, and we had 
heard no further signs of the game. We stopped to 
breathe, and we listened attentively for the slightest 
sound. A sudden crash in the jungle at a great dis- 
tance assured us that ^ve were once more discovered. 
The chase seemed hopeless ; the heat was most oppress- 
ive ; and we had been running for the last hour at a 
killing pace through a most distressing country. Once 
more, however, we started off, determined to keep up 
the pursuit as long as daylight would permit. It was 
now 5 p. M., and we had one hour left before darkness 
would set in. The wind had entirely ceased, leaving a 
perfect calm ; the air was thick and heavy, and the 
heat was thus rendered doubly fatiguing. We noticed, 
however, that the track of the elephants had doubled 
back instead of continuing in the direct line that we had 
followed so Jong. This gave us hope, as the elephants 
no longer had the advantage of the wind, and we 
pushed on as fast as we could go. 

It was about half an hour before dusk, and our 
patience and hopes were alike exhausted when we 
suddenly once more heard the wh-r-r-r of the elephants 
winding us within a hundred yards. It was our last 



Close Quarters. 'Jl 

chance, and with redoubled speed we rushed after 
them. 

Suddenly we broke from the high jungle in which we 
had been for the last two hours, and we found ourselves 
in a chena jungle of two years' growth, about five feet 
high, but so thick and thorny that it resembled one 
vast blackthorn hedge, through which no man could 
move except in the track of the retreating elephants.* 

To my delight, on entering this low jungle I saw the 
female at about forty yards' distance, making off at a 
great pace. I had a light double-barreled gun in my 
hand, and, in the hopes of checking her pace, I fired a 
flying shot at her ear. She had been hunted so long 
that she was well inclined to fight, and she immediately 
slackened her speed so much that in a few instants I 
was at her tail, so close that I could have slapped her. 
Still she ploughed her way through the thick thorns, 
and, not being able to pass her owing to the barrier of 
jungle, I could only follow close at her heels and take 
my chance of a shot. At length, losing all patience, 
I fired my remaining barrel under her tail, giving 
it an upward direction in the hope of disabling her 
spine. 

A cloud of smoke hung over me for a second, and, 
throwing my empty gun on one side, I put my hand 
behind me for a spare gun. I felt the welcome barrel 
pushed into my hand at the same moment that I saw 
the infuriated head of the elephant with ears cocked 
charging through the smoke. It was the work of an 
instant. I had just time to cock the two-ounce rifle and 
take a steady aim. The next moment we were in a 
cloud of smoke, but as I fired I felt certain of her. The 
emoke cleared from the thick bushes, and she lay dead 



72 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

at six feet from the spot where I stood. The ball was 
in the centre of her forehead, and B., who had fired 
over my shoulder so instantaneously with me that I 
was not aware of it, had placed his ball within three 
inches of mine. Had she been missed I should have 
fired my last shot. 

This had been a glorious hunt ; many miles had 
been gone over, but by great luck, when the wind 
dropped and the elephant altered her course, she had 
been making a circuit for the very field of korrakan at 
which we had first found her. We were thus not more 
than three miles from our resting-place, and the trackers, 
who know every inch of the country, soon brought us 
to the main road. 

The poonchy and the bull elephant, having both 
separated from the female, escaped. 

One great cause of danger in shooting in thick jun- 
gles is the obscurity occasioned b}^ the smoke of the 
first barrel ; this cannot escape from the surrounding 
bushes for some time, and effectually prevents a cer- 
tain aim with the remaining barrel. In wet weather 
this is much increased. 

For my own part I dislike shooting in thick jungles, 
and I very seldom do so. It is extremely dangerous, 
and is like shooting in the dark ; you never see the 
game until you can almost touch it, and the labor and 
pain of following up elephants through thorny jungle 
is beyond description. 

On our return to the post-holder's hut we dined and 
prepared for sleep. It was a calm night, and not a 
sound disturbed the stillness of the air. The tired 
coolies and servants were fast asleep, the lamp burnt 
dimly, being scantily fed with oil, and we were in thp 



A Black nvith a DeviL 



n 



act of lying down to rest when a frightful scream made 
us spring to our feet. There was something so un- 
earthly in the yell that we could hardly believe it hu- 
man. The next moment a figure bounded into the 
little room that we occupied. It was a black, stark 
naked. His tongue, half bitten through, protruded 
from his mouth; his bloodshot eyes, with a ghastly 
stare, were straining from their sockets, and he stood 
gazing at us with his arms extended wide apart. 
Another horrible scream burst from him, and he fell 
flat upon his back. 

The post-holder and a whole crowd of awakened 
coolies now assembled, and they all at once declared 
that the man had a devil. The fact is, he had a fit of 
epilepsy, and his convulsions were terrible. Without 
moving a limb he flapped here and there like a salmon 
when just landed. I had nothing with me that would 
relieve him, and I therefore left him to the hands of 
the post-holder, who prided himself upon his skill in 
exorcising devils. All his incantations produced no 
effect, and the unfortunate patient suddenly sprung to 
his feet and rushed madly into the thorny jungle. In 
this we heard him crashing through like a wild beast, 
and I do not know to this day whether he was ever 
heard of afterward. 

The Cingalese have a thorough belief in the presence 
of devils ; one sect are actually " devW-worski'pers," 
but the greater portion of the natives are Bhuddist's. 
Among this nation the missionaries make very slow 
progress. There is no character to work upon in the 
Cingalese: they are faithless, cunning, treacherous 
and abject cowards ; superstitious in the extreme, and 
yet unbelieving in any one God. A converted Bhud- 



74 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

dist will address his prayers to our God if he thinks he 
can obtain any temporal benefit by so doing ; but, it 
not, he would be just as likely to pray to Bhudda or to 
the devil. 

I once saw a sample of heathen conversion in Cey- 
lon that was enough to dishearten a missionary. A 
Roman Catholic chapel had been erected in a wild part 
of the country by some zealous missionary, who prided 
himself upon the number of his converts. He left his 
chapel during a few weeks' absence in some other dis- 
trict, during which time his converts paid their devo- 
tion to the Christian altar. They had made a few little 
additions to the ornaments of the altar, which must 
have astonished the priest on his return. 

There was an image of our Saviour and the Virgin : 
this was all according to custom. But there were also 
'' three images of Bhudda^^ a colored plaster-of-paris 
image of the ^teen and Prifice Albert upon the altar, 
and a very questionable penny print in vivid colors 
hanging over the altar, entitled the " Stolen Kiss." So 
much for the conversion of the heathen in Ceylon. The 
attempt should only be made in the schools, where the 
children may be brought up as Christians ; but the idea 
of converting the grown-up heathen is a fallacy. 




CHAPTER V. 

The Four-ounce again — Tidings of a Rogue — Approaching 
A Tank Rogue — An Exciting Moment — Ruins of Pollan- 
ARUA — Ancient Ruins — Rogues at Doolana — B. Charged 
BY A Rogue — Planning an Attack — A Check — Nar- 
row Escape — Rogue-stalking — A Bad Rogue — Dangers 
OF Elephant-shooting — The Rhatamahatmeya's Tale. 

A BROKEN nipple in my long two-ounce rifle 
took me to Trincomalee, about seventy miles out 
of my proposed route. Here I had it punched out 
and replaced with a new one, which I fortunately had 
with me. No one who has not experienced the loss 
can imagine the disgust occasioned by an accident to a 
favorite rifle in a wild country. A spare nipple and 
mainspring for each barrel and lock should always be 
taken on a shooting trip. 

In passing by Kandelly on my return from Trincoma- 
lee, I paid a second visit to the lake. This is very simi- 
lar to that of Minneria ; but the shooting at that time 
was destroyed from the same cause which has since 
ruined Minneria — " too many guns." The buffaloes 
were not worthy of the name ; I could not make one 
show fight, nor could I even get within three hundred 
yards of them. I returned from the plain with disgust ; 
but just as I was quitting the shores of the lake I no- 
ticed three buffaloes in the shallows about knee-deep in 

76 



76 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the water, nearly half a mile from me. They did not 
look bigger than dogs, the distance was so great. 

There is nothing like a sheet of water for trying a 
rifle ; the splash of the ball shows with such distinct- 
ness the accuracy or the defect in the shooting. It was 
necessary that I should fire my guns off in order to 
clean them that evening : I therefore tried their power 
at this immense distance. 

The long two-ounce fell short, but in a good line. I 
took a rest upon a man's shoulder with the four-ounce 
rifle, and, putting up the last sight, I aimed at the lead- 
ing buftalo, who was walking through the water paral- 
lel with us. I aimed at the outline of the throat, to 
allow for his pace at this great distance. The recoil of 
the rifle cut the man's ear open, as there were sixteen 
drachms of powder in this charge. 

We watched the smooth surface of the water as the 
invisible messenger whistled over the lake. Certainly 
three seconds elapsed before we saw the slightest effect. 
At the expiration of that time the buffalo fell suddenly 
in a sitting position, and there he remained fixed : many 
seconds after a dull sound returned to our ears ; it was 
the " futt" of the ball, which had positively struck him 
at this immense range. What the distance was I can- 
not say ; it may have been 600 yards, or 800, or more. 
It was shallow water the whole way : we therefore 
mounted our horses and rode up to him. Upon reach- 
ing him, I gave him a settling ball in the head, and we 
examined him. The heavy ball had passed completely 
through his hips, crushing both joints, and, of course, 
rendering him powerless at once. 

The shore appeared full half a mile from us on dux 
return, and I could hardly credit my own eyes, the dis- 



The Four-ounce again, *j*i 

tance was so immense, and yet the ball had passed clean 
through the animal's body. 

It was of course a chance shot, and, even with this 
acknowledgment, it must appear rather like the " mar- 
vellous" to a stranger ; — that is my misfortune, not my 
fault. I certainly never made such a shot before or 
since ; it was a sheer lucky hit, say at 600 yards ; and 
the wonderful power of the rifle was thus displayed in 
the ball perforating the large body of the buffalo at this 
range. This shot was made with a round ball, not a 
cone. The round belted ball for this heavy two-grooved 
rifle weighs three ounces. The conical ball weighs a 
little more than four ounces. 

While describing the long shots performed by this 
particular rifle, I cannot help recounting a curious 
chance with a large rogue elephant in Topari tank. 
This tank or lake is, like most others in Ceylon, the 
result of immense labor in past ages. Valleys were 
closed in by immense dams of solid masonry, which, 
checking the course of the rivers, formed lakes of many 
miles in extent. These were used as reservoirs for the 
water required for the irrigation of rice lands. The 
population who effected these extensive works have 
long since passed away ; their fate is involved in mys- 
tery. The records of their ancient cities still exist, but 
we have no account of their destruction. The ruins of 
one of these cities, Pollanarua, are within half a mile 
of the village of Topari, and the waters of the adjacent 
lake are still confined by a dam of two miles in length, 
composed of solid masonry. When the lake is full it 
is about eight miles in circumference. 

I had only just arrived at the village, and my horse- 
keeper had taken the horse to drink at the lake, when 
7* 



78 The Rifie and Hound in Ceylon. 

he suddenly came running back to say that a rogue 
elephant was bathing himself on the opposite shore, at 
about two miles' distance. 

I immediately took my guns and went after him. 
My path lay along the top of the great dam, which 
formed a causeway covered with jungle. This cause- 
way was about sixty feet in breadth and two miles in 
length : the lake washed its base about twenty feet 
below the summit. The opposite shore was a fine 
plain, bordered by open forest, and the lake spread into 
the grassy surface in wide and irregular bays. 

I continued my course along the causeway at a fast 
walk, and on arriving at the extremity of the lake I 
noticed that the ancient dam continued for a much 
greater distance. This, together with the great height 
of the masonry from the level of the water, proved 
that the dimensions of the lake had formerly been of 
much greater extent. 

Descending by the rugged stones which formed the 
dam wall, I reached the plain, and, keeping close to 
the water's edge, I rounded a large neck of land 
covered with trees, which projected for some distance 
into the lake. I knew, by the position of the elephant 
when I first saw him, that he w^as not far beyond this 
promontory, and I carefully advanced through the open 
forest, hoping that I might meet him there on his exit 
from his bath. In this I was mistaken, for on passing 
through this little belt of trees I saw the elephant still 
in the lake, belly deep, about three hundred paces from 
me. He was full a hundred and twenty yards from the 
shore, and I was puzzled how to act. He was an im- 
mense brute, being a fine specimen of a tank " rogue." 
This class are generally the worst description of rog\ie 



Approaching a Tank Rogue. yo 

elephants, who seldom move far from the lakes, nut 
infest the shores of the tanks for nfany years. Being 
quite alone with the exception of two worthless gun- 
bearers, the plan of attack required some consideration. 
The belt of trees in which I stood was the nearest 
piece of cover to the elephant, the main jungle being 
about a quarter of a mile from the shore of the laket 
In the event of a retreat being necessary, this cover 
would' therefore be my point. There was a large 
tamarind tree growing alone upon the plain about a 
hundred and fifty paces from the water's edge, exactly 
in a line with the position of the elephant. The mud 
plastered to a great height upon the stem showed this 
to be his favorite rubbing-post after bathing. 

Having determined upon my plan of attack, I took 
the guns from the gun-bearers and sent the men up the 
tree, as I knew they would run away in the event of 
danger, and would most probably take the guns with 
them in their flight. Having thus secured the guns, I 
placed the long two-ounce against a large and con- 
spicuous tree that grew upon the extreme edge of the 
forest, and I cautiously advanced over the open plain 
with my two remaining guns, one of which I deposited 
against the stem of the single tamarind tree. I had 
thus two points for a defensive retreat, should it be ne- 
cessary. 

I had experienced considerable difficulty in attaining 
my position at the tamarind tree without being observed 
by the elephant ; fortunately, I had both the wind and 
the sun favorable, the latter shining from my back full 
into the lake. 

The elephant was standing with his back to the shore 
exactly in a line with me, and he was swinging his 



8o The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

great head from side to side and flapping his ears in 
die enjoyment of h!s bath. I left the tree with my four- 
ounce rifle, and, keeping in a direct line for his hind- 
quarters, I walked toward him. The grass was soft 
and short ; I could therefore approach without the 
slightest noise : the only danger in being discovered 
was in the chance that I might be seen as he swung his 
head continually on either side. This I avoided by 
altering my course as I saw his head in the act of 
coming round, and I soon stood on the edge of the lake 
exactly behind him, at about a hundred and twenty 
yards. He was a noble-looking fellow, every inch a 
rogue, his head almost white with numerous flesh- 
colored spots. These give a savage and disgusting 
appearance to an elephant, and altogether he looked a 
formidable opponent. I had intended to shout on 
arriving at my present position, and then to wait for 
the front shot as he charged ; but on looking back to 
the tamarind tree and my proposed course for retreat, 
the distance appeared so great, rendered still more diffi- 
cult by a gradual ascent, that I felt it would be impos- 
sible to escape if my chance lay in running. I hardly 
knew what to do ; I had evidently caught a " Tartar." 
His head was perpetually swinging to and fro, and 
I was of course accordingly altering my position to 
avoid his eye. At one of these half turns he flapped 
4iis right ear just as his head came round, and I ob- 
served a perfectly white mark, the size of a saucer, be- 
hind the ear, in the exact spot for a fatal shot. I at 
once determined to try it, even at this distance ; at all 
events if it failed and he should charge, I had a fair 
start, and by getting the spare gun from the tamarind- 
tree I could make a defenCe at the cover. 



Astonishing the Natives. 8i 

His attention was completely absorbed in a luxu- 
rious repast upon a bed of the succulent lotus. He 
tore up bunches of the broad leaves and snaky stalks, 
and, washing them carefully with his trunk, he crushed 
the juicy stems, stuffing the tangled mass into his 
mouth as a savage would eat macaroni. Round 
swung his head once more, the ear flapped, the mark 
was exposed, but the ear again concealed it just as I 
had raised the rifle. This happened several times, but 
I waited patiently for a good chance, being preparetl 
for a run the moment after firing. 

Once more his head swung toward me ; the sun 
shone full upon him, and I raised the rifle to be ready 
for him if he gave me the chance. His ear flapped 
forward just as his head was at a proper angle for a 
shot. The mark shone brightly along the sights of the 
rifle as I took a steady aim, and the answer to the re- 
port of the gun w^as a dull splash. 

He had sunk upon his knees stone dead. I could 
hardl}' believe my eyes. The sight of so large an ani- 
mal being killed at such a distance by one shot had an 
extraordinary effect. I heard a heathenish scream of 
joy behind me, and upon turning round I perceived 
the now courageous gun-bearers running toward me 
at their best pace. They were two of the Topari 
villagers, and had been perfectly aghast at the idea of 
one person, with only one single-barreled rifle, attack- 
ing a tank rogue in the open plain. The sequel had 
turned their fear into astonishment. They now had the 
laugh at me, however, as they swam fearlessly up to 
the dead elephant to cut off' his tail, which I would not 
have done for any reward, for fear of crocodiles, which 
abound in the tank. The ball had struck the white 



82 TTie Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

mark exactly in the centre, which pleased these natives 
exceedingly, and they returned in safety with the tail. 

I have frequently tried these long shots since, but I 
never succeeded again except once, and that was not 
satisfactory, as the elephant did not die upon the spot, 
but was found by the natives on the following day. 

On my return to the village I took a short gun and 
strolled along the banks of the lake. The snipe were 
innumerable, and I killed them till my head ached v/ith 
the constant recoil of the gun in addition to the heat. 
I also killed several couple of ducks and teal in addi- 
tion to twenty-eight couple of snipe. This was the Para- 
dise for sport at the time of which I write. It had 
never been disturbed : but it has since shared the fate 
of many other places. 

The open forest in the vicinity of the lake abounded 
with deer. Grassy glades beneath the shady trees give 
a park-like appearance to the scene, and afford a de- 
lightful resort for the deer. 

In strolling through these shady glades, you suddenly 
arrive among the ruins of ancient Pollanarua. The 
palaces are crumbled into shapeless mounds of bricks. 
Massive pillars, formed of a single stone some twelve 
feet high, stand in upright rows throughout the jungle 
here and there over an extent of miles of country. The 
buildings which they once supported have long since 
fallen, and the pillars now stand like tombstones over 
vanished magnificence. Some buildings are still stand- 
ing ; among these are two dagobas, huge monuments 
of bricks, formerly covered with white cement and 
elaborately decorated with different devices. These are 
shaped like an ^^g^ which has been cut nearly in half 
and then placed upon its base ; but the cement has per- 



Ruins of Pollanarua. 83 

ished, and they are mounds of jungle and rank grass, 
which has overgrown them, although the large dagoba 
is upwards of a hundred feet high. 

A curious temple, formed on the imperishable prin- 
ciple of excavating in the solid rock, is in perfect preser- 
vation, and is still used by the natives as a place of 
worship : this is presided over by a priest. Three large 
images of Bhudda, carved out of solid rock, occupy 
the positions in which he is always represented ; that 
in the recumbent posture is fifty-six feet long, cut from 
one solid stone. 

I was strolling through these ruins when I suddenly 
saw a spotted doe feeding among the upright pillars 
before mentioned. I was within twenty yards of her 
before she was aware of my vicinity, and I bagged her 
by a shot with a double-barreled gun. At the report of 
the gun a herd of about thirty deer, which were con- 
cealed among the ruins, rushed close by me, and I 
bagged another doe with the remaining barrel. 

The whole of this country must at one time have been 
densely populated ; perhaps this very density may have 
produced pestilence, which swept away the inhabitants. 
The city has been in ruins for about 600 years, and was 
founded about 300 years before Christ. Some idea of 
the former extent of the Ceylon antiquities may be 
formed from the present size of the ruins. Those of 
Anarajapoora are 16 miles square, comprising a surface 
of 25$ square miles. Those of Pollanarua are much 
smaller, but they are nevertheless of great extent. 

The inhabitants of the present village of Topari are 
a poor squalid race ; and if they are descended in a 
direct line from the ancient occupants of the city, they 
are as much degenerated in character and habits as the 



84 The Rifle ana Hound in Ceylon, 

city itself is ruined in architecture. Few countries can 
be more thinly populated than Ceylon, and yet we have 
these numerous proofs of a powerful nation having 
once existed.- Wherever these lakes or tanks exist in 
the present day, a populous countr}^ once flourished. In 
all countries which are subject to months of drought a 
supply of water is the first consideration, or cultivation 
must cease. This was the object in forming the tanks, 
which are especially numerous throughout the Tam- 
bancadua district. These tank countries afford a great 
diversity of sport, as they all abound with wild-fowl 
and with snipe in their season (from November to 
May). During the time of drought they are always 
the resort of every kind of wild animal, who are forced 
to the neighborhood for a supply of water. 

The next tank to Topari is that of Doolana ; this is 
eight miles from the former, and is of about the same 
extent. In this district there are no less than eight of 
these large lakes. Their attractions to rogue elephants 
having been explained, it may be readily understood 
that these gentry abound throughout the district. I 
shall, therefore, select a few incidents which have hap- 
pened to me in these localities, which will afford 
excellent illustrations of the habits of " rogues." 

Having arrived at Doolana, on the 5th April, 1847, 
with excellent Moormen trackers, Avho were elephant- 
catchers by profession, I started for a day's sport in 
company with my brother B. This particular portion 
of the district is inhabited entirely by Moormen. They 
are a fine race of people, far superior to the Cingalese. 
They are supposed to be descended from Arabian origin, 
and they hold the Mohammedan religion. The Rhata- 
mahatmeya, or head man of the district, resides at 



" Rogues'' Again. 85 

Doolana, and he had received us in a most hospitable 
manner. We therefore started direct from his house. 

Passing through a belt of low, thick jungle, exactly 
in front of the village, we entered upon the plain which 
formed the border of the tank. This lake is about 
three miles in length, but is not more than a mile in 
width in its widest part, and in some places is very 
much less. The opposite sade of the tank is fine, open 
forest, which grows to the water-edge, and is in some 
parts flooded during the wet season. At this time the 
soil was deep and muddy. 

This was not a place visited by sportsmen at that 
period ; and upon arriving at the margin of the lake, 
an exciting view presented itself. Scattered over the 
extent of the lake, were " thirteen rogue elephants ;" 
one was not a quarter of a mile from us ; another was 
so far off he could hardly be distinguished; another 
was close to the opposite jungle ; and they were, in 
fact, all single elephants. There was an exception to 
this, however, in one pair of elephants, who stood in 
the very centre of the tank, side by side ; they were as 
black as ebony, and although in view with many 
brother rogues, they appeared giants even among giants. 
The Moormen immediately informed us that they were 
a notorious pair, who always associated together, and 
were the dread of the neighborhood. There were 
many tales of their ferocity and daring, which at the 
time we gave little heed to. 

Crossing the tank in a large canoe, we arrived in the 
open forest upon the opposite shore. It was a mass of 
elephant tracks, which sunk deep in the soft earth. 
1 hey were all so fresh and so confused that tracking 
was verv difficult. However, we at length fixed upon 

8 



86 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the tracks of a pair of elephants, and followed them 
up. This was a work of considerable time, but the 
distant cracking of a bough at length attracted us to 
their position, and we shortly came up with them, just 
as they had winded us and were moving off. I fired 
an ineffectual shot at the temple of one, which separated 
him from the other, after whom we started in chase at 
full speed. Full speed soon ended in a stand-still in 
such ground ; it was deep, stiff clay, in which we sunk 
over our ankles at every step, and varied our struggles 
by occasionally flying sprawling over the slippery roots 
of the trees. 

The elephants ran clean away from us, and the 
elephant-catchers, who knew nothing of the rules for 
carrying spare guns, entering into the excitement of 
the chase, and, free from the impediments of shoes, ran 
lightly along the muddy ground, and were soon out of 
sight as well as the elephants. ' Still we struggled on, 
when, presently we heard a shout and then a shot ; 
then another shout ; then the trumpet of an elephant. 
Shot after shot then followed with a chorus of shouts ; 
they were actually firing all our spare guns ! 

In a few moments we were up with them. In a 
beautifully open piece of forest, upon, good hard ground, 
these fellows were having a regular battle with the 
rogue. He was charging them with the greatest fury, 
but he no sooner selected one man for his object than 
these active fellows diverted his rage by firing into his 
hind-quarters and yelling at him. At this, he would 
immediately turn and charge another man, when he would 
again be assailed as before. When we arrived, he imme- 
diately selected B., and came straight at him, but offered 
a beautiful shot in doing so, and B. dropped him dead- 



Planning an Attack. 87 

The firing had disturbed a herd of elephants from 
the forest, and they had swam the large river in the 
neighborhood, which was at that time so swollen that 
we could not cross it. We, therefore, struck off to the 
edge of the forest w^here the waters of the lake washed 
the roots of the trees, and from this point we had a fine 
view of the greater portion of the lake. 

All the roigues that we had at first counted had retired 
to their several entrances in the forest, except the pair of 
desperadoes already mentioned — they knew no fear and 
had not heeded the shots fired. They were tempting 
baits, and we determined to get them if possible. 
These two villains were standing belly-deep in the 
water, about a quarter of a mile from the shore ; and 
the question was, " How were we to get near them !" 
Having observed that the other rogues had retreated to 
the forest at the noise of the firing, it struck me that 
we might by some ruse induce these two champions to 
Tollow their example, and, by meeting them on their 
mtrance, we might bring them to action. 

Not far upon our left, a long shallow bank, covered 
with reeds, stretched far into the tank. By wading 
knee-deep along this shoal, a man might approach to 
within two hundred paces of the elephants, and would 
be nearly abreast of them. I, therefore, gave a man a 
gun, and instructed him to advance to the extreme end 
of the shallows, taking care to conceal himself in the 
rushes, and when at the nearest point he was to fire at 
the elephants. This, I hoped, would drive them to the 
jungle, where we should endeavor to meet them. 

The Moorman entrusted upon this mission was a 
plucky fellow, and he started oft", taking a double gun 
and a few charges of powder and ball. The elephant- 



88 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

catchers were delighted with the idea, and we patiently 
awaited the result. About a quarter of an hour passed 
away, when we suddenly saw a pufF of white smoke 
spring from the green rushes at the point of the sand- 
bank. A few moments after we heard the report of 
the gun, and we saw the ball splash in the water close 
to the elephants. They immediately cocked their ears, 
and throwing their trunks high in the air, they en- 
deavored to wind the enemy ; but they did not move, 
and they shortly again commenced feeding upon the 
water-lilies. Another shot from the same place once 
more disturbed them, and, while they winded the un- 
seen enemy, two more shots in quick succession from 
the old quarter decided their opinion, and they stalked 
proudly through the water toward the shore. 

Our satisfaction was great, but the delight of the ele- 
phant-catchers knew no bounds. Away they started 
along the shores of the lake, hopping from root to root, 
skipping through the mud, which was more than a foot 
deep, their light forms hardly sinking in the tough surface. 
A nine-stone man certainly has an advantage over one 
of twelve in this ground ; added to this, I was carrying 
the long two-ounce rifle of sixteen pounds, which, with 
ammunition, etc., made up about thirteen and a half 
stone, in deep stiff clay. I was literally half-way up 
the calf of my leg in mud at every step, while these 
light, naked fellows tripped like snipe over the sodden 
ground. Vainly I called upon them to go easily ; their 
moment of excitement was at its full pitch, and they 
were soon out of sight among the trees and underwood, 
taking all the spare guns, except the four-ounce rifle, 
which, weighing twenty-one pounds, effectually pre- 
vented the bearer from leaving us behind. 



A Check 89 

What added materially to the annoyance of losing 
the spare guns was the thoughtless character of the 
advance. I felt sure that these fellows would outrun 
the position of the elephants, which, if they had con- 
tinue in a direct route, should have entered the jungle 
within three hundred yards of our first station. 

We had slipped, and plunged, and struggled over 
this distance, when we suddenly were checked in our 
advance. We had entered a small plot of deep mud 
and rank grass, surrounded upon all sides by dense rat- 
tan jungle. The stuff is one woven mass of hooked 
thorns : long tendrils, armed in the same manner, al- 
though not thicker than a whip-cord, wind themselves 
round the parent canes and form a jungle which even 
elephants dislike to enter. To man, these jungles are 
perfectly impervious. 

Half-way to our knees in mud, we stood in this small 
open space of about thirty feet by twenty. Around us 
was an opaque screen of this impenetrable jungle ; the 
lake lay about fifty yards upon our left, behind the thick 
rattan. The gun-bearers were gone ahead somewhere, 
and were far in advance. We were at a stand-still. 
Leaning upon my long rifle, I stood within four feet 
of the wall of jungle which divided us from the lake. 
I said to B., " The trackers are all wrong, and have 
gone too far. I am convinced that the elephants must 
have entered somewhere near this place." 

Little did I think that at that very moment they vvere 
within a few feet of us. B. was standing behind me 
on the opposite side of the small open, or about seven 
yards from the jungle. 

I suddenly heard a deep guttural sound in the thick 
rattan within four feet of me ; in the same instant the 
8* 



9© The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

whole tangled fabric bent over me, and bursting asundef 
showed the furious head of an elephant with uplifted 
trunk in full charge upon me. 

I had barely time to cock my rifle, and the barrel 
almost touched him as I fired. I knew it was injvain, 
as his trunk was raised. B. fired his right-hand barrel 
at the same moment without efi^ect from the same cause. 
I jumped on one side and attempted to spring through 
the deep mud : it was of no use, the long grass en- 
tangled my feet, and in another instant I lay sprawling 
in the enraged elephant's path within a foot of him. 
In that moment of suspense I expected to hear the 
crack of my own bones as his massive foot would be 
upon me. It was an atom of time. I heard the crack 
of a gun ; it was B.'s last barrel. I felt a spongy weight 
strike my heel, and, turning quickly heels over head, I 
rolled a few paces and regained my feet. That last 
shot had floored him just as he was upon me ; the end 
of his trunk had fallen upon my heel. Still he was not 
dead, but he struck at me with his trunk as I passed round 
his head to give him a finisher with the four-ounce rifle, 
which I had snatched from our solitary gun-bearer. 

My back was touching the jungle from vs^hich the 
rogue had just charged, and I was almost in the act of 
firing through the temple of the still struggling elephant 
when I heard a tremendous crash in the jungle behind 
me similar to the first, and the savage scream of an 
elephant. I saw the ponderous fore-leg cleave its way 
through the jungle directly upon me. I threw my 
whole weight back against the thick rattans to avoid 
him, and the next moment his foot was planted within 
an inch of mine. His lofty head was passing over me 
in full charge at B., who was unloaded, when, holding 



A Narrow Escape. 91 

the four-ounce rifle perpendicularly, I fired exactly 
under his throat. I thought he would fall upon me 
and crush me, but this shot was the only chance, as B. 
was perfectly helpless. 

A dense cloud of smoke from the heavy charge of 
powder for the moment obscured everything. I had 
jumped out of the way the instant after firing. The 
elephant did not fall, but he had his death wound : the 
ball had severed his jugular, and the blood poured 
from the wound. He stopped, but collecting his 
stunned energies he still blundered /orward toward B. 
He, however, avoided him by running to one side, and 
the wounded brute staggered on through the jungle. 
We now loaded the guns ; the first rogue was quite 
dead, and we followed in pursuit of rogue number two. 
We heard distant shots, and upon arriving at the spot 
we found the gun-bearers. They had heard the 
wounded elephant crushing through the jungle, and 
they had given him a volley just as he was crossing the 
river over which the herd had escaped in the morning. 
They described the elephant as perfectly helpless from 
his wound, and they imagined that he had fallen in the 
thick bushes on the opposite bank of the river. As I 
before mentioned we could not cross the river on 
account of the torrent, but in a few days it subsided, 
and the elephant was found lying dead in the spot 
where they supposed he had fallen. 

Thus happily ended the destruction of this notable 
pair ; they had proved themselves all that we had heard 
of them, and by their cunning dodge of hiding in the 
thick jungle they had nearly made sure of us. We 
had killed three rogues that morning, and we returned 
to our quarters well satisfied. 
9* 



pa 'The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

Since that period I have somewhat thinned the 
number of rogues in this neighborhood. I had a careful 
and almost certain plan of shooting them. Quite alone, 
with the exception of two faithful gun-bearers, I used 
to wait at the edge of the jungle at their feeding time, 
and watch their exit from the forest. The most cautious 
stalking then generally enabled me to. get a fatal shot 
before my presence was discovered. This is the proper 
way to succeed with rogue elephants, although of 
course it is attended with considerable danger. I was 
once very nearly caught near this spot, where the 
elephants are always particularly savage. The lake 
was then much diminished in size by dry weather, and 
the water had retired for about a hundred yards from 
the edge of the forest, leaving a deep bed of mud 
covered with slime and decayed vegetable matter. This 
slime had hardened in the sun and formed a cake over 
the soft mud beneath. Upon this treacherous surface a 
man could walk with great care. Should the thin 
covering break through he would be immediately waist- 
deep in the soft mud. To plod through this was the 
elephant's delight. Smearing a thick coat of the black 
mud over their whole bodies, they formed a defensive 
armor against the attacks of musquitoes, which are the 
greatest tormenters that an elephant has to contend 
with. 

I was watching the edge of the forest one afternoon 
at about four o'clock, when I noticed the massive form 
of one of these tank rogues stalk majestically from the 
jungle and proceed through the deep mud toward 
the lake. I had the wind, and I commenced stalking 
him. 

Advancing with my two gun-bearers in single file, I 



A Bad Rogue, 93 

crept carefully from tree to tree along the edge of the 
forest for about a quarter of a mile, until I arrived at 
the very spot at which he had made his exit from the 
jungle. 

I was now within eighty yards of him as he stood with 
his head toward the lake, and his hind-quarters exactly 
facing me. His deep tracks in the mud were about five 
feet apart, so great was his stride and length of limb, 
and, although the soft bog was at least three and a half 
feet deep, his belly was full two feet above the surface. 
He was a fine fellow, and, with intense caution, I 
advanced toward him over the trembling surface of 
baked slime. His tracks had nearly filled with water, 
and looked like little wells. The bog waved as I 
walked carefully over it, and I stopped once or twice, 
hesitating whether I should continue : I feared the 
crusty surface would not support me, as the nearer I 
approached the water's edge the weaker the coating 
of slime became, not having been exposed for so long 
a time to the sun as that at a greater distance. 

He was making so much noise in splashing the mud 
over his body that I had a fine chance for getting up to 
him. I could not stand the temptation, and I crept up 
as fast as I could. 

I got within eight paces of him unperceived ; the 
mud that he threw over his back spattered round me as 
it fell. 1 was carrying a light double-barreled gun, but 
I now reached back my hand to exchange it for my 
four-ounce rifle. Little did I expect the sudden effect 
produced by the additional weight of the heavy weapon. 
The treacherous surface suddenly gave way, and in an 
instant I was waist deep in mud. The noise that I had 
made in falling had at once aroused the elephant, and. 



94 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

true to his character of a rogue, he immediately advanced 
with a shrill trumpet toward me. His ears were cocked, 
and his tail was well up ; but, instead of charging, as 
rogues generally do, with his head thrown rather back 
and held high, which renders a front shot very uncertain, 
he rather lowered his head, and splashed toward me 
through the mud, apparently despising my diminutive 
appearance. 

I thought it was all up with me this time : I was im- 
movable in my bed of mud, and, instead of the clean 
brown barrel that I could usually trust to in an extrem- 
ity, I raised a mass of mud to my shoulder, which en- 
cased my rifle like a flannel bag. I fully expected it to 
miss fire ; no sights were visible, and I had to guess the 
aim with the advancing elephant within five yards of 
me. Hopelessly I pulled the slippery trigger. The 
rifle did not even hang fire, and the rogue fell into the 
deep bed of mud stone dead. If the rifle had missed 
fire, I must have been killed, as escape would have been 
impossible. . It was with great difficulty that I was ex- 
tricated from my muddy position by the joint exertions 
of myself and gun-bearers. 

Elephants, buffaloes and hogs are equally fond of 
wallowing in the mud. A buffalo will gallop through 
a swamp, hock deep, in which a horse would be utterly 
powerless, even without a rider. Elephants can also 
make wonderful progress through deep mud, the forma- 
tion of the hind legs with knees instead of hocks giving 
them an increased facility for moving through heavy 
ground. 

The great risk in attacking rogue elephants consists 
in the impracticability of quick movements upon such 
ground as they generally frequent. The speed and 



Dangers of Mlefhant-shooting. 95 

activity of a man, although considerable upon a smooth 
surface, is as nothing upon rough, stumpy grass wilds, 
where even walking is laborious. What is compara- 
tively level to an elephant's foot is as a ploughed field to 
that of a man. This renders escape from pursuit next 
to impossible, unless some welcome tree should be near, 
round which the hunter could dodge, and even then he 
stands but a poor chance, unless assistance is at hand. 
I have never seen any one who could run at full speed 
in rough ground without falling, if pursued. Large 
stones, tufts of rank grass, holes, fallen boughs, gullies, 
are all impediments to rapid locomotion when the pur- 
sued is forced to be constantly looking back to watch 
the progress of his foe, and to be the judge of his own 
race. 

There is a great art in running away. It requires the 
perfection of coolness and presence of mind, without 
which a man is most likely to run into the very danger 
that he is trying to avoid. This was the cause of Majoi 
Haddock's death in Ceylon some years ago. He had 
attacked a " rogue," and, being immediately charged, 
he failed to stop him, although he gave him both bar- 
rels. Being forced to run, he went off at full speed, 
and turning quickly round a tree, he hoped the elephant 
would pass him. Unfortunately, he did not look 
behind him before he turned, and the elephant passed 
round the opposite side of the tree, and, of course, met 
him face to face. He was instantly trampled to death. 

Mr. Wallet was also killed by a rogue elephant : this 
animal was shot a few days afterward, after a spirited 
contest, by Captain Galway and Ensign Scroggs, both 
of whom were very nearly caught in the encounter. A 
gentleman of the name of Keane was added to the list 



96 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

of victims a few years ago. He had fired without effect, 
and was almost immediately overtaken by the elephant 
and crushed to death. The most extraordinary tale that 
I have ever heard of rogue elephants in Ceylon, was 
told me by the Rhatamahatmeya of Doolana, who was 
present at the scene when a lad. I do not profess to 
credit it entirely ; but I will give it in his own words, 
and, to avoid the onus of an improbable story, I will 
entitle it the " Rhatamahatmeya's Tale." In justice to 
him, I must acknowledge that his account was corrob- 
orated by all the old men of the village. 

THE RHATAMAHATMEYA'S TALE. 

" There was a notorious rogue elephant at Doolana 
about thirty years ago, whose ferocity was so extreme 
that he took complete possession of a certain part of 
the country adjoining the lake. He had killed eight or 
nine persons, and his whole object in existence ap- 
peared to be the waylaying and destruction of the 
natives. He was of enormous size, and was well 
known by a peculiar flesh-colored forehead. 

" In those days there were no fire-arms in this part 
of the country ; therefore there was no protection for 
either life or property from this monster, who would 
invade the paddy-fields at night, and actually pull down 
the watch-houses, regardless of the blazing fires which 
are lighted on the hearth of sand on the summit ; these 
he used to scatter about and extinguish. He had killed 
several natives in this manner, involving them in the 
common ruin with their watch-houses. The terror 
created by this elephant was so extreme that the na- 
tives deserted the neighborhood that he infested. 

" At length many months passed away without his 



The Rhatamahatmeyd! s Tale. 97 

being either seen or heard of: the people began to hope 
that he had died from the effect of poisoned arrows, 
which had frequenly been shot at him from the watch- 
houses in high trees ; and, by degrees, the terror of 
his name had lost its power, and he ceased to be 
thought of. 

" It was in the cool of the evening, about an hour 
before sunset, that about twenty of the women from the 
village were upon the grassy borders of the lake, en- 
gaged in sorting and tying into bundles the rushes 
which they had been gathering during the day for 
making mats. They were on the point of starting 
homeward with their loads, when the sudden trumpet 
of an elephant was heard, and to their horror they saw 
the well known rogue, with the unmistakable mark 
upon his forehead, coming down in full charge upon 
them. The ground was perfectly open ; there were no 
trees for some hundred yards, except the jungle from 
which he W3S advancing at a frightful speed. An in- 
discriminate flight of course took place, and a race of 
terror commenced. In a few seconds the monster was 
among them, and, seizing a young girl in his trunk, he 
held her high in the air, and halted, as though uncer- 
tain how to dispose of his helpless victim. The girl, 
meanwhile, was vainly shrieking for assistance, and 
the pe^^^rified troop of women, having gained the shelter 
of some jungle, gazed panic-stricken upon the impend- 
ing fate of their companion, 

" To their horror the elephant slowly lowered her in 
his trunk till near the ground, when he gradually again 
raised her, and, bringing her head into his mouth, a 
report was heard like the crack of a whip — it was the 
sudden crushing of her skull. Tearing the head off by 
G 



98 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the neck, he devoured it ; and, placing his fore-foot 
upon the body, he tore the arms and legs from their 
sockets with his trunk, and devoured every portion of 
her. 

" The women rushed to the village with the news of 
this unnatural carnage. 

" Doolana and the neighborhood has always been 
famous for its elephant-hunters, and the husband of 
this unfortunate girl was one of the most active in their 
pursuit. The animals are caught in this country and 
sold to the Arabs, for the use of the Indian govern- 
ment. 

" The news of this bloody deed flew from village to 
village ; war to the knife was declared against the per- 
petrator, and preparations were accordingly made. 

" Since the murder of this girl he had taken up his 
abode in a small isolated jungle adjoining, surrounded 
by a small open plain of fine soft grass, upon a level, 
sandy soil. 

" A few days after this act, a hundred men assembled 
at Doolana, determined upon his destruction. They 
were all picked elephant-hunters — Moormen ; active 
and sinewy fellows, accustomed to danger from their 
childhood. Some were armed with axes, sharpened 
to the keenest edge, some with long spears, and others 
with regular elephant ropes, formed of the thongs of 
raw deer's hide, beautifully twisted. Each division of 
men had a separate duty allotted. 

" They marched toward the small jungle in which 
the rogue was known to be ; but he anticipated their 
wishes, and before they were within a hundred paces 
of his lair, he charged furiously out. The conflict 
began in good earnest. The spearmen were in ad- 



The Rhatajnahatmeya^ s Tale. 99 

vance, and the axemen were divided into two parties, 
one on either flank, with an equal number of ropemen. 
The instant that he charged, the whole body of men 
ran forward at full speed to meet him ; still he con- 
tinued his furious onset, undismayed by the yells of a 
hundred men. The spearmen halted when within 
twenty yards, then turned and fled ; this had been 
agreed upon beforehand. The elephant parsed the 
two flanks of axemen in pursuit of the flying enemy ; 
the axemen immediately closed in behind him, led by 
the husband of the murdered girl. By a well-directed 
blow upon the hind leg, full of revenge, this active fel- 
low divided the sinew in the first joint above the foot. 
That instant the elephant fell upon his knees, but re- 
covered himself directly, and endeavored to turn upon 
his pursuers ; a dozen axes flashed in the sun-beams, 
as the strokes were aimed at the other hind leg. It 
was the work of an instant : the massive limb bent 
powerless under him, and he fell in a sitting posture 
uttterly helpless, but roaring with mad and im]^©- 
tent fury. The ropemen now threw nooses over his 
trunk and head ; his struggles, although tremendous, 
were in vain ; fifty men, hanging their weight upon 
several ropes attached to his trunk, rendered that 
dreaded weapon powerless. The sharp lances were 
repeatedly driven into his side, and several of the 
boldest hunters climbing up the steep ascent of his 
back, an *axe was seen to fall swiftly and repeatedly 
upon his spine, on the nape of his tough neck. The 
giant form suddenly sunk ; the spine was divided, and 
the avenging blow was dealt by the husband of his late 
victim. The destroyer was no more. The victory was 
gained without the loss of a man." 



lOo The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

The natives said that this elephant was mad ; if so, 
it may account in some measure for the unheard-of oc- 
currence of an elephant devouring flesh. Both ele- 
phants and buffaloes attack man from malice alone, 
without the slightest idea of making a meal of him. 
This portion of the headman's s*:ory I cannot possibly 
believe, although he swears to it. The elephant may, 
perhaps, have cracked her head and torn his victim to 
pieces in the manner described, but the actual " eating'^ 
is incredible. 




CHAPTER VI. 

Character of the Veddahs — Description of the Veddahs 
— A MoNAMPiTYA Rogue — Attacking the Rogue — Breath- 
less Excitement — Death of a Large Rogue — Utility of 
the Four-ounce — A Curious Shot — Fury of a Bull Buf- 
falo — Character of the Wild Buffalo — Buffalo Shoot- 
ing at Minneria Lake — Charge in High Reeds — Close 
of a Good Day's Sport — Last Day at Minneria — A 
Large Snake — An Unpleasant Bedfellow. 

DOOLANA is upon the very verge of the most 
northern point of the Veddah country, the 
whole of which wild district is the finest part of Cey- 
lon for sport. Even to this day few Europeans have 
hunted these secluded wilds. The wandering Veddah, 
with his bow and arrows, is occasionally seen roaming 
through his wilderness in search of deer, but the report 
of a native's gun is never heard ; the game is therefore 
comparatively undisturbed. I have visited every por- 
tion of this fine sporting country, and since I have ac- 
quired the thorough knowledge of its attractions, I have 
made up my mind never to shoot anywhere but there. 
The country is more open than in most parts of Ceylon, 
and the perfect wildness of the whole district is an ad- 
ditional charm. 

The dimensions of the Veddah country are about 
eighty miles from north to south, by forty in width. 
A fine mountain, known as the " Gunner's Coin," is 

101 



I02 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon.* 

an unmistakable landmark upon the northern boundary. 
From this point a person may ride for forty miles with- 
out seeing a sign of a habitation ; the whole country is 
perfectly uncivilized, and its scanty occupants, the 
' Veddahs," wander about like animals, without either 
home, laws or religion. 

I have frequently read absurd descriptions of their 
manners and customs, which must evidently have been 
gathered from hearsay, and not from a knowledge ol 
the people. It is a commonly believed report that the 
Veddahs ''''live in the trees" and a stranger imme- 
diately confuses them with rooks and monkeys. Who- 
ever first saw Veddah huts in the trees would have 
discovered, upon inquiry, that they were temporary 
watch-houses, from which they guard a little plot of 
korrakan from the attacks of elephants and other wild 
beasts. Far from living in the trees, they live no- 
where ; they wander over the face of their beautiful 
country, and migrate to different parts at different sea- 
sons, with the game which they are always pursuing. 
The seasons in Ceylon vary in an extraordinary man- 
ner, considering the small size of the island. The wet 
season, in one district, is the dry season in another, and 
vice versd. Wherever the dry weather prevails, the 
pasturage is dried up ; the brooks and pools are mere 
sandy gullies and pits. The Veddahs watch at some 
solitary hole which still contains a little water, and to 
this the deer and every species of Ceylon game resort. 
Here his broad-headed arrow finds a supply. He dries 
the meat in long strips in the sun, and cleaning out some 
hollow tree, he packs away his savory mass of sun-cooked 
flesh, and fills up the reservoir with wild honey ; he then 
stops up the aperture with clay. 



Character of the Veddahs, 103 

The last drop of water evaporates, the deer leave the 
country and migrate into other parts where mountains 
attract the rain and the pasturage is abundant. The 
Veddah burns the parched grass wherever he passes, 
and the country is soon a blackened surface — not a blade 
of pasture remains ; but the act of burning ensures a 
sweet supply shortly after the rains commence, to which 
the game and the Veddahs will then return. In the 
mean time he follows the game to other districts, living 
in caves where they happen to abound or making a 
temporary hut with grass and sticks. 

Every deer-path, every rock, every peculiar feature 
in the country, every pool of water, is known to these 
hunting Veddahs ; they are consequently the best assist- 
ants in the world in elephant-hunting. They will run 
at top speed over hard ground upon an elephant's track 
which is barely discernible even to the practiced eye of 
a white man. Fortunately, the number of these people 
is very trifling or the game would be scarce. They 
hunt like the leopard ; noiselessly stalking till with- 
in ten paces of their game, they let the broad arrow 
fly. At this distance who could miss.^ Should the 
game be simply wounded, it is quite enough ; they 
never lose him, but hunt him up, like hounds, upon a 
blood track. 

Nevertheless, they are very bad shots with the bow 
and arrow, and they never can improve while they re- 
strict their practice to such short ranges. 

I have often tried them at a mark at sixty yards, and, 
although a very bad hand with a bow myself, I have 
invariably beaten them with their own weapons. These 
bows are six feet long, made of a light, supple wood, 
and the strings are made of the fibrous bark of a tree, 



I04 The Rifle aiid Hound in Ceylon, 

greased and twisted. Tk^ arrows are three feet long, 
formed of the same wood as the bows. The blades are 
themselves seven inches of this length, and are flat, 
like the blade of a dinner-knife brought to a point. 
Three short feathers from the peacock's wing are 
roughly lashed to the other end of the arrow. 

The Veddah in person is extremely ugly ; short, but 
sinewy, his long, uncombed locks fall to his waist, look- 
ing more like a horse's tail than human hair. He des- 
pises money, but is thankful for a knife, a hatchet or a' 
gaudy-colored cloth, or brass pot for cooking. 

The women are horribly ugly, and are almost entirely 
naked. They have no matrimonial regulations, and 
the children are squalid and miserable. Still these peo- 
ple are perfectly happy, and would prefer their present 
wandering life to the most luxurious restraint. Speak- 
irtg a language of their own, with habits akin to those 
of wild animals, they keep entirely apart from the Cin- 
galese. They barter deer-horns and bees'-wax with the 
traveling Moormen peddlers in exchange for their trifling 
requirements. If they have food, they eat it ; if they 
have none, they go without until by some chance they 
procure it. In the mean time, they chew the bark of 
various trees, and search for berries, while they wend 
their way for many miles to some remembered store of 
deer's flesh and honey, laid by in a hollow tree. 

The first time that I ever saw a Veddah was in tho 
north of the country. A rogue elephant was bathing 
in r. little pool of deep mud and water near the tank of 
Monampitya, about six miles from the " Gunner's Coin." 
This Veddah had killed a wild pig, and was smoking 
the flesh within a few yards of the spot, when he sud- 
denly heard the elephant splashing in the water. My 



^ Mo7tampitya Rogue. 105 

tent was pitched within a mile of the place, and he 
accordingly brought me the intelligence. 

Upon arrival at the pool I found the elephant so deep 
in the mud that he could barely move. His hind quar- 
ters were toward me ; and the pool not being more than 
thirty yards in diameter and surrounded by impene- 
trable rattan jungle on all sides but one small opening, 
in which I stood, I was obliged to clap my hands to 
attract his attention. This had the desired effect ; he 
turned slowly round, and I shot him immediately. This 
was one of the Monampitya tank rogues, but in his 
muddy position he had no chance. 

The largest elephant that I have ever seen was in 
this neighborhood. I had arrived one afternoon at 
about five o'clock in a fine plain, about twelve miles 
from Monampitya, where the presence of a beautiful 
lake and high grass promised an abundance of game. 
It was a most secluded spot, and my tent and coolies 
being well up with my horse, I fixed upon a shady 
nook for the tent, and I strolled out to look for the tracks 
while it was being pitched. 

A long promontory stretched some hundred yardjj 
into the lake, exactly opposite the spot I had fixed upon 
for the encampment, and, knowing that elephants w^hen 
bathing generally land upon the nearest shore, I walked 
out toward the point of this projecting neck of land. 

The weather was very dry, and the ground was a 
mass of little pitfalls, about two feet deep, which had 
been made by the feet of the elephants in the wet 
weather, when this spot was soft mud and evidently 
the favorite resort of the heavy game. The ground 
was now baked by the sun as hard as though it were 
frozen, and the numerous deep ruts made walking very 



b 



io6 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

difficult. Several large trees and a few bushes grew 
upon the surface, but for the most part it was covered 
by a short though luxuriant grass. One large tree grew 
within fifty yards of the extreme point of the promon- 
tory, and another of the same kind grew at an equal 
distance from it, but nearer to the main land. Upon 
both these trees was a coat of thick mud not many 
hours old. The bark was rubbed completely away, 
and this appeared to have been used for years as a 
favorite rubbing-post by some immense elephant. The 
mud reached full twelve feet up the trunk of the tree, 
and there were old marks far above this which had 
been scored by his tushes. There was no doubt that 
one of these tank rogues of extraordinary size had 
frequented this spot for years, and still continued to do 
so, the mud upon the tree being still soft, as though it 
had been left there that morning. I already coveted 
him, and having my telescope with me, I took a 
minute survey of the opposite shore, which was about 
half a mile distant and was lined with fine open forest 
to the water's edge. Nothing was visible. I examined 
the other side of the lake with the same want of success. 
Although it was such a quiet spot, with beautiful grass 
and water, there was not a single head of game to be 
seen. Again I scrutinized the opposite shore. The 
glass was no sooner raised to my eye than I started at 
the unexpected apparition. There was no mistaking 
him ; he had appeared as though by magic — an ele- 
phant of the most extraordinary size that I have ever 
seen. He was not still for an instant, but was stalking 
quickly up and down the edge of the lake as though in 
great agitation. This restlessness is one of the chief 
characteristics of a bad rogue. I watched him for a 



Attacking the Rogue. lO^ 

few minutes, until he at length took to the water, and 
after blowing several streams over his shoulders, he ad- 
vanced to the middle of the tank, where he commenced 
feeding upon the lotus leaves and sedges. 

It was a calm afternoon, and not a breath of air was 
stirring ; and fearing lest the noise of the coolies, who 
were arranging the encampment, should disturb him I 
hastened back. I soon restored quiet, and ordering the 
horses to be led into the jungle lest he should discover 
them, I made the people conceal themselves ; and taking 
my two Moormen gun-bearers, who were trusty fellows 
that I had frequently shot with, I crept cautiously back 
to my former position, and took my station behind the 
large tree farthest from the point which commanded 
the favorite rubbing-post and within fifty yards of it. 
From this place I attentively watched his movements. 
He was wandering about in the water, alternately feed- 
ing and bathing ; and there was a peculiar devilry in 
his movements that marked him as a rogue of the first 
class. He at length made up his mind to cross the 
tank, and he advanced at quick strides through the 
water straight for the point upon which I hoped to meet 
him. 

This was an exciting moment. I had no companion, 
but depended upon my own gun, and the rutty nature 
of the ground precluded any quick movements. The 
watching of the game is the intense excitement of 
elephant-shooting — a feeling which only lasts until the 
animal is within shot, when it suddenly vanishes and 
gives place to perfect calmness. At this time I could 
distinctly hear the beating of my own heart, and my 
two gun-bearers, who did not know what fear was. 
were literally trembling with excitement. 



io8 The Rifle and Hound ijt Ceylon, 

He was certainly a king of beasts, and proudly he 
advanced toward the point. Suddenly he disappeared ; 
nothing- could be seen but his trunk above the water as 
he waded through the deep channel for a few yards, 
and then reared his majestic form dripping from the 
lake. He stood upon the " point." I never saw so 
grand an animal ; it seemed as though no single ball 
could kill him ; and although his head and carcase 
were enormous, still his length of leg appeared dis- 
proportionately great. With quick, springy paces he 
advanced directly for his favorite tree and began his 
process of rubbing, perfectly unaware of the hidden foes 
so near him. 

Having finished his rubbing, he tore up several 
bunches of grass, but without eating them, he threw 
them pettishly over his back, and tossed some from side 
to side. I was in momentary dread lest a horse should 
neigh and disturb him, as they were within two hun- 
dred paces of where he stood. Everything was, how- 
ever, quiet in that direction, where the hiding coolies 
were watching the impending event with breathless 
interest. 

Having amused himself for some moments by kick- 
ing up the turf and dirt and throwing the sand over his 
back, he took it into his head to visit the main shore, 
and for this purpose he strode quickly in the direction 
of the encampment. I moved round the tree to secrete 
myself as he advanced. He was soon exactly at right 
angles with me as he was passing the tree, when he 
suddenly stopped : his whole demeanor changed in an A 
instant ; his ears cocked, his eyes gleamed, his tail on * 
end and his trunk raised high in the air, he turned the 
distended tip toward the tree from behind which I wa? 



Death of a Large Rogue, 109 

watching him. He was perfectly motionless and silent 
in this attitude for some moments. He was thirty yards 
from me, as I supposed at the time, and I reserved my 
fire, having the four-ounce rifle ready. Suddenly, with 
his trunk still raised, his long legs swung forward 
toward me. There was no time to lose ; I was discov- 
ered, and a front shot would be useless with his trunk 
in that position. Just as his head was in the act of 
turning toward me I took a steady shot at his temple. 
He sunk gently upon his knees, and never afterward 
moved a muscle. His eyes were open, and so bright 
that I pushed my finger in them to assure myself that 
life was perfectly extinct. He was exactly thirty-two 
paces from the rifle, and the ball had passed in at one 
temple and out at the other. His height may be imag- 
ined from this rough method of measuring. A gun- 
bearer climbed upon his back as the elephant lay upon 
all-fours, and holding a long stick across his spine at 
right angles, I could just touch it with the points of my 
fingers by reaching to my utmost height. Thus, as he 
lay, his back was seven feet two inches, perpendicular 
height, from the ground. This would make his height 
when erect about twelve feet on the spine — an enormous 
height for an elephant, as twelve feet on the top of the 
back is about equal to eleven feet six inches at the 
shoulder. If I had not fortunately killed this elephant 
at the first shot, I should have had enough to do to take 
care of myself, as he was one of the most vicious-look- 
ing brutes that I ever saw, and he was in the very act 
of charging when I shot him. 

With these elephants the four-ounce rifle is an invalu- 
able weapon ; even if the animal is not struck in the 
mortal spot, the force of the blow upon the head is §0 
10 



XIO The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

great that it will generally bring him upon his knees, or 
at least stop him. It has failed once or twice in this, 
but not often ; and upon those occasions I had loaded 
with the conical ball. This, although it will penetrate 
much farther through a thick substance than a round 
ball, is not so effective in elephant-shooting as the latter. 
The reason is plain enough. No shot in the head will 
kill an elephant dead, unless it passes through the 
brain ; an ounce ball will effect this as well as a six- 
pound shot ; but there are many cases where the brain 
cannot be touched, by a peculiar method of carrying 
the head and trunk in charging, etc. ; a power is then 
required that by the concussion will knock him down, 
or turn him ; this power is greater in the round ball 
than in the conical, as a larger surface is suddenly 
struck. The effect is similar to a man being run through 
the arm with a rapier or thrust at with a poker — the 
rapier will pass through him almost without his know- 
ledge, but the poker will knock him down. Thus the 
pointed conical ball will, perhaps, pass through an ele- 
phant's forehead and penetrate as far as his shoulders, 
but it will produce no immediate effect. For buffalo- 
shooting, the conical ball is preferable, as with the 
heavy charge of powder that I use it will pass com- 
pletely through him from end to end. A four-ounce 
ball, raking an animal from stem to stern, must settle 
him at once. This is a desirable tljing to accomplish 
with wild buffaloes, as they may frequently prove awk- 
ward customers, even after receiving several mortal 
wounds from light guns. 

The four-ounce conical ball should be an excellent 
weapon for African shooting, where the usual shot at 
an elephant is at the shoulder. This shot would never 



. Utility of the F'our-ounce. ill 

answer in Ceylon : the country is not sufficiently open 
to watch the effects produced upon the animal, and al- 
though he may have a mortal wound, he carries it away 
with him and is not bagged. I have frequently tried 
this shot ; and, although I have seen the elephants go 
away with ears and trunk drooping, still I have never 
bagged more than one by any but the head-shot. This 
fellow was a small " tusker," who formed one of a herd 
in thick thorny jungle. There were several rocks in 
this low jungle which overtopped the highest bushes ; 
and having taken my station upon one of these, I got a 
downward . shot between the shoulders at the tusker, 
and dropped him immediately as the herd passed be- 
neath. The jungle was so thick that I could not see 
his head, or, of course, I should have chosen the usual 
shot. This shot was not a fair criterion for the shoulder, 
as I happened to be in a position that enabled me to 
fire down upon him, and the ball most likely passed 
completely through him. 

I remember a curious and unexpected shot that I 
once made with the four-ounce rifle, which illustrates 
its immense power. I was shooting at Minneria, and 
was returning to the tent in the afternoon, having had 
a great day's sport with buffaloes, when I saw a large 
herd in the distance, ranged up together, and gazing 
intently at some object near them. Being on horse- 
back, I rode up to them, carrying my heavy rifle ; and, 
upon a n^r approach, I discovered two large bulls 
fighting fnriously. This combat was exciting the at- 
tention of the herd, who retreated upon my approach. 
The two bulls were so engaged in their duel that they 
did not notice me until I was within fifty yards of them. 
First one, then the other, was borne to the ground, 



112 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

when presently their horns became locked together, as 
though arm in arm. The more they tugged to separate 
themselves, the tighter they held together, and at length 
they ranged side by side. Taking a shot at the shoulder 
of the nearest bull, they both fell suddenly to the ground. 
The fall unlocked their horns, and one bull, recovering 
his legs, retreated at a slow pace and dead lame. The 
nearest bull was killed ; and mounting my horse, I gal- 
loped after the wounded buffalo. The chase did not 
last long. Upon arriving within fifty yards of his 
flank, I noticed the blood streaming from his mouth, 
and he presently rolled over and died. The ball, hav- 
ing passed through his antagonist, had entered his 
shoulder, and, smashing the shoulder-blade, had passed 
through the body, lodging in the tough hide upon his 
opposite side, from which I extracted it by simply 
cutting the skin which covered it. 

I have frequently seen the bull buffaloes fight each 
other with great fury. Upon these occasions they are 
generally the most dangerous, all their natural ferocity 
being increased b}' the heat of the combat. I was once 
in pursuit of an elephant which led me across the plain 
at Minneria, when I suddenly observed a large bull 
buffalo making toward me, as though to cut me off in 
the very direction in which I was advancing. Upon 
his near approach, I noticed numerous bloody cuts and 
scratches upon his neck and shoulders, which were 
evidently only just made by the horns of some bull 
with whom he had been fighting. Not wishing to fire, 
lest I should alarm the elephant, I endeavored to avoid 
him, but this was no easy task. He advanced to 
within fifty paces of me, and ploughing up the ground 
with his horns and roaring, he seemed determined to 



Fury of a Bull Btiffalo. 1 13 

make an attack. However, I managed to pass him at 
length, being determined to pay him off on my return, 
if he were still in the same spot. 

On arriving near the position of the elephant, I saw 
at once that it was impossible to get him : he was 
standing in a deep morass of great extent, backed by 
thick jungles, and I could not approach nearer than a 
hundred and fifty paces. After trying several ruses to 
induce him to quit his mud-bath and come on, I found 
it was of no use ; he was not disposed to be a fighter, 
as he saw my strong position upon some open rising 
ground among some large trees. I therefore took a 
rest upon the branch of a tree, and gave him a shot 
from the four-ounce rifle through the shoulder. This 
sent him to the thick jungle with ears and trunk droop- 
ing, but produced no other effect. I therefore returned 
toward the tent, fully expecting to meet my old enemy, 
the bull, whom I had left master of the field. In this 
I was not disappointed ; he was standing within a 
few yards of the same spot, and, upon seeing me, he 
immediately advanced, having a very poor opinion 
of an enemy who had retreated from him an hour 
previous. 

Instead of charging at a rapid pace, he trotted slowly 
up, and I gave him the four-ounce when within fifty 
yards. This knocked him over ; but, to my astonish- 
ment, he recovered himself instantly and galloped 
toward me. Again he stopped within twenty yards of 
me, and it was fortunate for me that he did ; for a 
servant who was carrying my long two-ounce rifle had, 
in his excitement, cocked it and actually set the hair- 
trigger. This he managed to touch as he handed it to 
me, and it exploded close to my head. I had only a 
10 • H 



114 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, « 

light double-gun loaded, and the buffalo was evidently 
prepared to charge in a few seconds. 

To my great satisfaction, I saw the bloody foam 
gathering upon his lips, and I knew that he was struck 
through the lungs ; but, nevertheless, the distance was 
so short between us that he could reach me in two or 
three bounds. Keeping my Moorman with the light 
gun close to me in readiness, I began to load my two 
big rifles. In the mean time the bull was advancing 
step by step with an expression of determined malice, 
and my Cingalese servant, in an abject state of fright, 
was imploring me to run — simply as an excuse for his 
own flight " Buffalo's coming, sar ! Master, run 
plenty, quick ! Buffalo's coming, sar ! Master, get big 
tree !" I could not turn to silence the fellow, but 1 
caught him a fine backward kick upon the shins with 
my heel, which stopped him, and in a few seconds I 
was loaded and the four-ounce was in my hand. The 
bull, at this time, was not fiflieen yards from me ; but, 
just as I was going to fire, I saw him reel to one side ; 
and in another moment he rolled upon his back, a 
dead buffalo, although I had not fired after my first 
shot. The ball, having entered his chest, was sticking 
in the skin of his haunch, having passed through his 
lungs. His wonderfiil pluck had kept him upon his 
legs until life was extinct. 

I am almost tired of recounting so many instances of 
the courage of these beasts. When I look back to 
those scenes, so many ghosts of victims rise up before 
me that, were I to relate one-half their histories, it 
would fill a volume. The object m describing these 
encounters is to show the style of animal that the 
buffalo is in his natural state, I could relate a hundred 



Character of the Wild Buffalo. 115 

instances where they have died like curs, and have 
afforded no more sport than tame cows ; but I merely 
enumerate those scenes worth relating that I have 
witnessed. This will show that the character of a wild 
buffalo can never be depended upon ; and if the pursuit 
is followed up as a sport by itself, the nature of the 
animal cannot be judged by the individual behavior of 
any particular beast. Some will fight and some will 
fly, and no one can tell which will take place : it is at 
the option of the beast. Caution and good shooting, 
combined with heavy rifles, are necessary. Without 
heavy metal, the sport would be superlatively dangerous 
if regularly followed up. Many persons kill a wild 
buffalo every now and then ; but I have never met with 
a single sportsman in Ceylon who has devoted himself 
to the pursuit as a separate sport. Unless this is done, 
the real character of buffaloes in general must remain 
unknown. It may, however, be considered as a rule 
with few exceptions that the buffaloes seldom com- 
mence the attack unless pursued. Their instinct at 
once tells them whether the man advancing toward 
them over the plain comes as an enemy. They may 
then attack ; but if unmolested they will generally 
retreat, and, like all men of true courage, they will 
never seek a quarrel, and never give in when it is forced 
upon them. Many descriptions of my encounters with 
these animals may appear to militate against this theory, 
but they are the exceptions that I have met with : the 
fierce look of defiance and the quick tossing of the 
head may appear to portend a charge ; but the animals 
are generally satisfied with this demonstration, and 
retreat. 

Attack the single bulls and follow them up, and they 



It6 The Rijle ajid Hotind in Ceylon, 

will soon show their real character. Heavy rifles then 
make a good sport of what would otherwise be a chance 
of ten to one against the man. It must be remembered 
that the attack is generally upon an extensive plain, 
without a single sheltering tree ; escape by speed is 
therefore impossible, and even a horse must be a good 
one or a buffalo will catch him. 

Without wading through the many scenes of carnage 
that I have witnessed in this branch of sport, I will sum 
up the account of buffalo-shooting by a description of 
one day's work at Minneria. 

The tent was pitched in a secluded spot beneath some 
shady trees, through which no ray of sun could pene- 
trate ; the open forest surrounded it on all sides, but 
through the vistas of dark stems the beautiful green 
plain and glassy lake could be seen stretching into an 
undefined distance. The blue hills, apparently spring- 
ing from the bosom of the lake, lined the horizon, and 
the shadowy forms of the Kandian mountains mingled 
indistinctly with the distant clouds. From this spot, 
with a good telescope, I could watch the greater part of 
the plain, which was at this time enlivened by the nu- 
merous herds of wild buflialoes scattered over the sur- 
face. A large bull was standing alone about half a mile 
from the tent, and I thought him a fine beast to begin 
with. 

I started with two well-known and trusty gun-bearers. 
This bull apparently did not wish to fight, and when 
at nearly four hundred yards distance he turned and 
galloped off*. I put up all the sights of the long two- 
ounce rifle, and for an instant he dropped to the shot at 
this distance, but recovering immediately he turned 
round, and, although upon only three legs, he charged to- 



Buffalo-shooting at Minneria Lake, \\*j 

ward me. At this distance I should have had ample time 
to reload before he could have come near me, so I took 
a quiet shot at him with my four-ounce rifle. A second 
passed and he pitched upon his head and lay upon the 
ground, struggling in vain to rise. This was an im- 
mensely long shot to produce so immediate an effect ; sc 
reloading quickly I stepped the distance. I measured 
three hundred and fifty-two paces, and I then stood 
within ten yards of him, as he still lay upon the ground, 
endeavoring vainly to rush at me. A ball in his head 
settled him. The first shot had broken his hind leg— 
and the shot with the big rifle had hit him on the nose, 
and, tearing away the upper jaw, it had passed along 
his neck and escaped from behind his shoulder. This 
was a great chance to hit him so exactly at such a 
range. His skull is now in England, exhibiting the 
terrific effect af the heavy ball. 

I had made up my mind for a long day's work, and 
I therefore mounted my horse and rode over the plain. 
The buffaloes were very wild, as I had been shooting 
here for some days, and there were no less than forty- 
two carcases scattered about the plain in diflerenl 
directions. I fired several ineffectual shots at immense 
ranges ; at length I even fired at random into a large 
herd, which seemed determined to take to the jungle. 
After they had galloped for a quarter of a mile, a cow 
dropped to the rear and presently fell. Upon riding up 
to her I found her in the last gasp ; the random shot 
had struck her behind the shoulder, and I finished her 
by a ball in the head. One of the bulls from this herd 
had separated from the troop, and had taken t» - the 
lake ; he had waded out for about four hundred y^rds, 
and was standing shoulder deep. This was a fin^ tar- 



Ii8 The Rijie and Hound in Ceylon. 

get ; a black spot upon the bright surface of the lake, 
although there was not more than eighteen inches of 
his body above the water. I rode to the very edge of 
the lake, and then dismounting, I took a rest upon my 
saddle. My horse, being well accustomed to this work, 
stood like a statue, but the ball dapped in the water just 
beyond the mark. The buffalo did not move an inch 
until the third shot. This hit him, and he swam still 
farther off; but he soon got his footing, and again gave 
a fair mark as before. I missed him again, having 
fired a little over him. The fifth shot brought luck and 
sank him. I do not know where he was hit, as of 
course I could not get to him ; but most likely it was in 
the spine, as so small a portion of his body was above 
water. 

I passed nearly the whole day in practicing at long 
ranges, but with no very satisfactory effect ; several buffa- 
loes badly wounded had reached the jungle, and my 
shoulder was so sore from the recoil of the heavy rifle 
during several days' shooting with the large charge of 
powder that I was obliged to reduce the charge to six 
drachms and give up the long shots. 

It was late in the afternoon, and the heat of the 
day had been intense. I was very hungry, not having 
breakfasted, and I made up my mind to return to the 
tent, which was now some eight miles distant. I was 
riding over the plain on my way home, when I saw a 
fine bull spring from a swampy hollow and gallop off. 
Putting spurs to my horse, I was soon after him, carry- 
ing the four-ounce rifle ; and upon seeing himself pur- 
sued, he took shelter in a low but dry hollow, which 
was a mass of lofty bulru&h and coarse tangled grass, 
rising about ten feet high in an impervious mass. This 



Charge in High Reeds. 119 

had been a pool in the wet weather, but was now dried 
up, and was nothing but a bed of sedges and high 
rushes. I could see nothing of the bull, although 1 
knew he was in it. The hollow was in the centre of a 
wide plain, so I knew that the buffalo could not have 
passed out without my seeing him, and my gun-bearers 
having come up, I made them pelt the rushes with 
dried clods of earth. It was of no use : he would not 
break cover ; so I determined to ride in and hunt him 
up. The grass was so thick and entangled with the 
rushes that my horse could with difficulty force his way 
through it ; and when within the dense mass of vegeta- 
tion it towered high above my head, and was so thick 
that I could not see a yard to my right or left. I beat 
about to no purpose for about twenty minutes, and I 
was on the point of giving it up when I suddenly saw 
the tall reeds bow down just before me. I heard the 
rush of an animal as he burst through, and I just saw 
the broad black nose, quickly followed by the head and 
horns, as the buffalo charged into me. The horse 
reared to his full height as the horns almost touched 
his chest, and I fired as well as I was able. In another 
instant I was rolling on the ground, with my horse upon 
me, in a cloud of smoke and confusion. 

In a most unsportsmanlike manner (as persons may 
exclaim who were not there) I hid behind my horse, 
as he regained his legs. All was still — the snorting of 
the frightened horse was all that I could hear. I ex- 
pected to have seen the infuriated buffalo among us. I 
peeped over the horse's back, and, to my delight and 
surprise, I saw the carcase of the bull lying within 
three feet of him. His head was pierced by the ball 
exactly between the horns, and death had been instan- 



I20 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

taneous. The horse, having reared to his full height, 
had entangled his hind legs in the grass, and he had 
fallen backward without being touched by the buffalo, 
although the horns were close into him. 

I was rather pleased at being so well out of this 
scrape, and I made up my mind never again to follow 
buffaloes into high grass. Turning toward the posi- 
tion of the tent, I rode homeward. The plain appeared 
deserted, and I rode for three or four miles along the 
shores of the lake without seeing a head of game. At 
length, when within about three miles of the encamp- 
ment, I saw a small herd of five buffaloes and three 
half-grown calves standing upon a narrow point of 
muddy ground which projected for some distance into 
the lake. 

I immediately rode toward them, and upon approach- 
ing to within sixty yards, I found they consisted of three 
cows, two bulls and three calves. I had advanced to- 
ward them upon the neck of land upon which they 
stood ; there was, therefore, no retreat for them unless 
they took to the water. They perceived this them- 
selves, but they preferred the bolder plan of charging 
through all opposition and then reaching the main- 
land. After a few preliminary grunts and tosses of the 
head, one of the bulls charged straight at me at full 
gallop ; he was not followed by his companions, who 
were still irresolute ; and, when within forty yards, he 
sprung high in the air, and pitching upon his horns, he 
floundered upon his back as the rifle-ball passed through 
his neck and broke his spine. I immediately com- 
menced reloading, but the ball was only half-way down 
the barrel when the remaining bull, undismayed by 
the fate of his companion, rushed on at full speed 



Buffalo-shooting at Miftneria Lake. 121 

Snatching the long two-ounce rifle from a gun-bearer, 
I made a lucky shot. The ball must have passed 
through his heart, as he fell stone dead. 

The three cows remained passive spectators of the 
death of their mates, although I was convinced by their 
expression that they would eventually show fight. I 
was soon reloaded, and not wishing to act simply on 
the defensive, and thus run the risk of a simultaneous 
onset, I fired at the throat of the most vicious of the 
party. The two-ounce ball produced no other effect 
than an immediate charge. She bounded toward me, 
and, although bleeding at the mouth, the distance was 
so short that she would have been into me had I not 
stopped her with the four-ounce rifle, which brought 
her to the ground when within fifteen paces ; here she 
lay disabled, but not dead, and again I reloaded as fast 
as possible. 

The two remaining cows appeared to have taken a 
lesson from the fate of their comrades ; and showing no 
disposition to charge, I advanced toward them to 
within twenty yards. One of the cows now com- 
menced tearing the muddy ground with her horns, and 
thus offered a certain shot, which I accordingly took, 
and dropped her dead with a ball in the nape of the 
neck. This was too much for the remaining buffalo ; 
she turned to plunge into the lake, but the four-ounce 
through her shoulder brought her down before she 
could reach the water, into v^hich the three calves had 
sprung, and were swimming for the main shore. I hit 
the last calf in the head with a double-barreled gun, 
and he immediately sank ; and I missed another calf 
with the left-hand barrel ; therefore two escaped. I 
sent a man into the water to find the dead calf, which 
11 



1 22 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

he soon did, and hauled it to the shore ; and having re- 
loaded, I proceeded to examine the hits on the dead 
buffaloes. It was fortunate that I had reloaded ; for I 
had no sooner approached to within three or four yards 
of the cow that I had left dying, when she suddenly 
sprang to her feet and would have charged, had I not 
killed her by a ball in the head from a light double- 
barrel that I was then carrying. These animals had 
shown as good sport as I had ever witnessed in buffalo- 
shooting, but the two heavy rifles were fearful odds 
against them, and they were added to the list of the 
slain. It was now late in the evening, and I had had 
a long day's work in a broiling sun. I had bagged ten 
buffaloes, including the calf, and having cut a fillet 
from the latter, I took a gun, loaded with shot, from 
my horsekeeper, and gave up ball-shooting, having 
turned my attention to a large flock of teal, which I 
had disturbed in attacking the buffaloes. This flock I 
had marked down in a small stream which flowed into 
the lake. A cautious approach upon my hands and 
knees, through the grass, brought me undiscovered to 
the bank of the stream, where, in a small bay, it emp- 
tied itself into the lake, and a flock of about eighty teal 
were swimming among the water-lilies within twenty 
yards of me. I fired one barrel on the water, and the 
other in the air as they rose, killing five and wounding 
a sixth, which escaped by continual diving. On my 
way home I killed a few snipe, till at length the cessa- 
tion of daylight put an end to all shooting. 

The moon was full and shone over the lake with 
great brilliancy ; the air was cool and refreshing after 
the great heat of the day ; and the chirp of the snipe 
and whistling sound of the wildfowl on the lake were 



Close of a Good Day's Sport, 123 

the only noises that disturbed the wild scene around. 
The tent-fires were blazing brightly in the forest at 
about a mile distant ; and giving my gun to the horse- 
keeper, I mounted and rode toward the spot. 

I was within half a mile of the tent, and had just 
turned round an angle made by the forest, when I sud- 
denly saw the gray forms of several elephants, who had 
just emerged from the forest, and were feeding in the 
high grass within a hundred yards of me. I counted 
seven, six of which were close to the edge of the jun- 
gle, but the seventh was a large bull elephant, who had 
advanced by himself about sixty yards into the plain. 
I thought I could cut this fellow off, and, taking my big 
rifle, I dismounted and crept cautiously toward him. 
He winded me before I had gone many paces, gave a 
shrill trumpet of alarm and started off for the jungle ; 
the rest of the herd vanished like magic, while I ran 
after the bull elephant at my best speed. He was too 
quick for me, and I could not gain upon him, so, halt- 
ing suddenly, I took a steady shot at his ear with the 
four-ounce at about seventy yards. Down he went to 
the shot, but I heard him roar as he lay upon the 
ground, and I knew he would be up again in a mo- 
ment. In the same instant, as I dropped my empty 
rifle, a double-barreled gun was pushed into my hand, 
and I ran up to him, just in time to catch him as he 
was half risen. Feeling sure of him, I ran up within 
two yards of his head and fired into his forehead. To 
my amazement, he jumped quickly up, and with a loud 
trumpet he rushed toward the jungle. I could just 
keep close alongside him, as the grass was short and 
the ground level, and being determined to get him, I 
ran close to his shoulder, and, taking a steady shot be- 



124 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon* 

hind the ear, I fired my remaining barrel. Judge of my 
surprise ! — it only increased his speed, and in another 
moment he reached the jungle : he was gone. He 
seemed to bear a charmed life. I had taken two shots 
within a few feet of him that I would have staked my 
life upon. I looked at my gun. Ye gods ! I had 
been firing snipe shot at him. It was my rascally 
horsekeeper, who had actually handed me the shot- 
gun, which I had received as the double-barreled ball- 
gun that I knew was carried by a gun-bearer. How I 
did thrash him ! If the elephant had charged instead of 
making off", I should have been caught, to a certainty. 

This day's shooting was the last day of good sport 
that I ever had at Minneria. It was in June, 1847. 
The next morning I moved my encampment and 
started homeward. To my surprise I saw a rogue 
elephant drinking in the lake, within a quarter of a 
mile of me ; but the Fates were against his capture. I 
stalked him as well as I could, but he winded me, and 
came on in full charge with his trunk up. The heavy 
rifle fortunately turned but did not kill him, and he 
escaped in thorny jungle, through which I did not 
choose to follow. 

On my way to the main road from Trincomalee to 
Kandy I walked on through the jungle path about a 
mile ahead of my followers, to look out for game. 
Upon arriving at the open country in the neighborhood 
of Cowdellai, I got a shot at a deer at a V lling distance. 
She was not twenty yards off*, and was looking at me as 
if spell-bound. This provided me with venison for a 
couple of days. The rapid decomposition of all things 
in a tropical climate renders a continued supply of 
animal food very precarious, if the produce of the rifle 



A Large Snake. 135 

is alone to be depended upon. Venison killed on one day 
would be uneatable on the day following, unless it were 
half-dressed shortly after it was killed : thus the size of 
the animal in no way contributes to the continuation of 
the supply of food, as the meat will not keep. Even 
snipe killed on one morning are putrid the next even- 
ing; the quantity of game required for the subsistence 
of one person is consequently very large. 

After killing the deer I stalked a fine peacock, who 
gave me an hour's work before I could get near him. 
These birds are very wary and difficult to approach ; 
but I at length got him into a large bush, surrounded 
by open ground. A stone thrown into this dislodged 
him, and he gave me a splendid flying shot at about 
thirty yards. I bagged him with the two-ounce rifle, 
but the large ball damaged him terribly. There are 
few better birds than a Ceylon peafowl, if kept for two 
days and then washed in vinegar : they combine the 
flavor of the turkey and the pheasant. 

I was obliged to carry the bird myself, as my two 
gun-bearers were staggering under the weight of the 
deer, and the spare guns were carried by my tracker. 
We were proceeding slowly along when the tracker, 
who was in advance, suddenly sprang back and pointed 
to some object in the path. It was certainly enough to 
startle any man. An enormous serpent lay coiled in 
the path. His head was about the size of a very small 
cocoa-nut, divided lengthways, and this was raised 
about eighteen inches above the coil. His eyes were 
fixed upon us, and his forked tongue played in and out 
of his mouth with a continued hiss. Aiming at his 
head, I fired at him with a double-barreled gun, within 
four paces, and blew his head to pieces. He appeared 
11* 



126 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon* 

stone dead ; but upon pulling him by the tail, to stretch 
him out at full length, he wreathed himself in con- 
vulsive coils, and lashing himself out in full length, he 
mowed down the high grass in all directions. This 
obliged me to stand clear, as his blows were terrific, 
and the thickest part of his body was as large as a 
man's thigh. I at length thought of an expedient for 
securing him. Cutting some sharp-pointed stakes, I 
waited till he was again quiet, when I suddenly pinned 
his tail to the ground with my hunting-knife, and 
thrusting the pointed stake into the hole, I drove it 
deeply into the ground with the butt of my rifle. 
The boa made some objection to this, and again he 
commenced his former muscular contortions. I waited 
till they were over, and having provided myself with 
some tough jungle rope (a species of creeper), I once 
more approached him, and pinning his throat to the 
ground with a stake, I tied the rope through the in- 
cision, and the united exertions of myself and three 
men hauled him out perfectly straight. I then drove a 
stake firmly through his throat and pinned him out. 
He was fifteen feet in length, and it required our united 
strength to tear off his skin, which shone with a variety 
of passing colors. On losing his hide he tore away 
from the stakes ; and although his head was shivered 
to atoms, and he had lost three feet of his length of 
neck by the ball having cut through this part, which 
separited in tearing oft' the skin, still he lashed. out and 
writhed in frightful convulsions, which continued 
until I left him, bearing as my trophy his scaly hide. 
These boas will kill deer, and by crushing them into a 
sort of sausage they are enabled by degrees to swallow 
them. There are many of these vermin in Ceylon ; 



An Unpleasant Bedfellow, 137 

but they are seldom seen, as they generally wander 
forth at night. There are marvelous stories of their 
size ; and my men assured me that they had seen much 
larger than the snake now mentioned : to me he ap- 
peared a horrible monster. 

I do not know anything so disgusting as a snake. 
There is an instinctive feeling that the arch enemy is 
personified when these wretches glide by you, and the 
blood chills with horror. I took the dried skin of this 
fellow to England ; it measures twelve feet in its dry 
state, minus the piece that was broken from his neck, 
making him the length before mentioned, of fifteen feet. 

I have often been astonished that comparatively so 
few accidents happen in Ceylon from snake-bites ; the 
immense number of these vermin and the close nature 
of the country making it a dangerous risk to the naked 
feet of the natives. I was once lying upon a sofa in a 
rest-house at Kandellai, when I saw a snake about four 
feet long glide in at the open door, and, as though ac- 
customed to a particular spot for his lodging, he at once 
climbed upon another sofa and coiled himself under 
the pillow. My brother had only just risen from this 
sofa, and was sitting at the table watching the move- 
ments of his uninvited bed-fellow. I soon poked him 
out with a stick, and cut off' his head with a hunting- 
knife. This snake was of a very poisonous description, 
and was evidently accustomed to lodge behind the pil- 
low, upon which the unwary sleeper might have re- 
ceived a fatal bite. Upon taking possession of an 
unfrequented rest-house, the cushions of the sofas and 
bedsteads should always be examined, as they are greaj; 
attractions to snakes, scorpions, centipedes and all man- 
ner of reptiles. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Capabilities of Ceylon — Deer at Illepecadewe — Sagacity 
OF A Pariah Dog — Two Deer at one Shot — Deer-stalk- 
ing — Hambantotte Country — Kattregam Festival — 
Sitrawelle — Ruins of Ancient Mahagam — Wiharewelle 
— A Night Attack upon Elephants — Shooting by Moon- 
light — Yalle River — Another Rogue— A Stroll before 
Breakfast — A Curious Shot — A Good Day's Sport. 

THERE are few countries which present a more 
lovely appearance than Ceylon. There is a di- 
versity in the scenery which refreshes the eye ; and 
although the evergreen appearance might appear monot- 
onous to some persons, still, were they residents, they 
would observe that the color of the foliage is undergo- 
ing a constant change by the varying tints of the leaves 
in the different stages of their growth. These tints are 
far more lovely than the autumnal shades of England, 
and their brilliancy is enhanced by the idea that it is the 
bursting of the young leaf into life, the freshness of 
youth instead of the sere leaf of a past summer, which, 
after gilding for a few days the beauty of the woods, 
drops from the frozen branches and deserts them. Every 
shade of color is seen in the Ceylon forests, as the young 
leaves are, constantly replacing those which have fallen 
without being missed. The deepest crimson, the 
brightest yellow and green of every shade, combine to 
129 



Capabilities of Ceylon. 1 29 

form a beautiful crest to the forest-covered surface of 
the island. 

There is no doubt, however, that there is too much 
wood in Ceylon ; it prevents the free circulation of air, 
and promotes dampness, malaria, and consequently 
fevers and dysentery, the latter disease being the scourge 
of the colony. The low country is accordingly decid- 
edly unhealthy. 

This vast mass of forest and jungle is a great impedi- 
ment to the enjoyment of traveling. The heat in the 
narrow paths cut through dense jungles is extreme ; and 
after a journey of seventy or eighty miles through this 
style of country the eye scans the wild plains and moun- 
tains with delight. Some districts, however, are per- 
fectly devoid of trees, and form a succession of undu- 
lating downs of short grass. Other parts, again, al- 
though devoid of heavy timber, are covered with dense 
thorny jungles, especially the country adjoining the sea- 
coast, which is generally of a uniform character round 
the whole island, being interspersed with sandy plains 
producing a short grass. 

Much has been said by some authors of the "capa- 
bilities" of Ceylon ; but, however enticing the descrip- 
tion of these capabilities may have been, the proof has 
been decidedly in opposition to the theory. Few coun- 
tries exist with such an immense proportion of bad soil. 
There are no minerals except iron, no limestone except 
dolomite, no other rocks than quartz and gneiss. The 
natural pastures are poor ; the timber of the forests is 
the only natural production of any value, with the ex- 
ception of cinnamon. Sugar estates do not answer, 
and coffee requires an expensive system of cultivation 
by frequent manuring. In fact, the soil is wretched ; 

I 



I.^O The RiHe and Hound in Ceyloft* 

so bad that the natives, by felling the forest and burn- 
ing the timber upon the ground, can only produce one 
crop of some poor grain ; the land is then exhausted, 
and upon its consequent desertion it gives birth to an 
impenetrable mass of low jungle, comprising every 
thorn that can be conceived. This deserted land, 
fallen again into the hand of Nature, forms the jungle 
of Ceylon ; and as native cultivation has thus continued 
for some thousand years, the immense tract of country 
now in this impenetrable state is easily accounted for. 
The forests vary in appearance ; some are perfectly free 
from underwood, being composed of enormous trees, 
whose branches effectually exclude the rays of the sun ; 
but they generally consist of large trees, which tower 
above a thick, and for the most part thorny, under- 
wood, difficult to penetrate. 

The features of Ceylon scenery may, therefore, be 
divided as follows : 

Natural forest, extending over the greater portion. 

Thorny jungle, extending over a large portion. 

Flat plains and thorny jungles, in the vicinity of the 
coast. 

Open down country, extending over a small portion 
of the interior. 

Open park country, extending over the greater por- 
tion of the Veddah district. 

The mountains, forming the centre of the island. 

The latter are mostly covered with forest, but they 
are beautifully varied by numberless open plains and 
hills of grass-land at an altitude of from three to nearly 
nine thousand feet. 

If Ceylon were an open country, there would be no 
large game, as there would be no shelter from the sun. 



Deer at Illepecaddtvi. 131 

In the beautiful open down country throughout the 
Ouva district, there is no game larger than wild hogs, 
red-deer, mouse-deer, hares and partridges. These 
animals shelter themselves in the low bushes, which 
generally consist of the wild guavas, and occupy th** 
hollows between the undulations of the hills. The 
thorny jungles conceal a mass of game of all kinds, 
but in this retreat the animals are secure from attack. 
In the vicinity of the coast, among the " flat plains and 
thorny jungles," there is al\va3^s excellent shooting at 
particular seasons. The spotted deer abound through- 
out Ceylon, especially in these parts, where they are 
often seen in herds of a hundred together. In many 
places they are far too numerous, as, from the want of 
inhabitants in these parts, there are no consumers, and 
these beautiful beasts would be shot to waste. 

In the neighborhood of Paliar and lUepecad^w^ on 
the northwest coast, I have shot them till I was satiated 
and it ceased to be sport. We had nine fine deer hang- 
ing up in one day, and they were putrefjdng faster than 
the few inhabitants could preserve them by smoking 
and drying them in steaks. I could have shot them in 
any number, had I chosen to kill simply for the sake 
of murder ; but I cannot conceive any person finding 
an enjoyment in slaying these splendid deer to rot upon 
the ground. 

I was once shooting at Illepecad6we, which is a 
lonely, miserable spot, when I met with a very saga- 
cious and original sportsman in a most unexpectec] 
manner. I was shooting with a friend, and we had 
separated for a few hundred paces. I presently got a 
shot at a pea-fowl, and killed her with my rifle. The 
shot was no sooner fired, than I heard another shot in 



132 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the jungle, in the direction taken by my friend. My 
rifle was ' still unloaded when a spotted doe bounded 
out of the jungle, followed by a white pariah dog in 
full chase. Who would have dreamt of meeting with 
& dog at this distance from a village (about four miles) ? 
1 whistled to the dog, and to my surprise he came to 
me, the deer having left him out of sight in a few 
seconds. He was a knowing-looking brute, and was 
evidently out hunting on his own account. Just at this 
moment my friend called to me that he had wounded 
a buck, and that he had found the blood-track. I picked 
a blade of grass from the spot which was tinged with 
blood ; and holding it to the dog's nose, he eagerly fol- 
lowed me to the track, upon which I dropped it. He 
went off in a moment ; but, running mute, I was 
obliged to follow ; and after a chase of a quarter of a 
mile I lost sight of him. In following up the foot- 
track of the wounded deer, I heard the distant barking 
of the dog, by which I knew that he had brought the 
buck to bay, and I was soon at the spot. The buck 
had taken up a position in a small glade, and was 
charging the dog furiously ; but the pariah was too know- 
ing to court the danger, and kept well out of the way. I 
shot the buck, and, tying a piece of jungle-rope to the 
dog's neck, gave him to a gun-bearer to lead, as I 
hoped he might be again useful in hunting up a 
wounded deer, 

I had not proceeded more than half a mile, when we 
arrived at the edge of a small sluggish stream, covered 
in most places with rushes and water-lilies. We forded 
this about hip-deep, but the gun-bearer who had the 
dog could not prevail upon our mute companion 
to follow ; he pulled violently back and shrinked, 



The Sagacity of a Pariah Dog 133 

and evinced every symptom of terror at the approach 
of water. 

I was now at the opposite *bank, and nothing would 
induce him to come near the river, so I told the gun- 
bearer to drag him across by force. This he accord- 
ingly did, and the dog swam with frantic exertions 
across the river, and managed to disengage his head 
from tlie rope. The moment that he arrived on terra 
firma he rushed up a steep bank and looked attentively 
down into the water beneath. 

We now gave him credit for his sagacity in refusing 
to cross the dangerous passage. The reeds bowed 
down to the right and left as a huge crocodile of about 
eighteen feet in length moved slowly from his shallow 
bed into a deep hole. The dog turned to the right- 
about, and went oft' as fast as his legs would carry him. 
No calling or whistling would induce him to return, 
and I never saw him again. How he knew that a 
crocodile was in the stream I cannot imagine. He 
must have had a narrow escape at some former time, 
which was a lesson that he seemed determined to 
profit by. 

Shortly after the disappearance of the dog, I sepa- 
rated from my companion and took a different line of 
country. Large plains, with thorny jungles and bushe-s 
of the long cockspur thorn interspersed, formed the 
character of the ground. This place literally swarmed 
with pea-fowl, partridges and deer. I killed another 
peacock, and the shot disturbed a herd of about sixty 
deer, who bounded over the plain till out of sight. 1 
tracked up this herd for n'^arly a mile, when I observed 
them behind a large bush ; some were lying down and 
some were standing. A buck and.doe presently quitted 
12 



134 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

the herd, and advancing a few paces from the bush, 
they halted, and evidently winded me. I was screen- 
ing myself behind a sm^ll tree, and the open ground 
between me and the game precluded the possibility of 
a nearer approach. It was a random distance for a 
deer, but I took a rest against the stem of the tree and 
fired at the buck as he stood with his broadside ex- 
posed, being shoulder to shoulder with the doe. Away 
went the herd, flying over the plain ; but, to my delight, 
there were two white bellies struggling upon the ground. 
I ran up to cut their throats ;* the two-ounce ball had 
passed through the shoulders of both ; and I stepped 
the distance to the tree from which I had fired, " two 
hundred and thirteen paces." 

Shortly after this I got another shot, which, by a 
chance, killed two deer. I was strolling through a 
narrow glade with open jungles upon either side, when 
I suddenly heard a quick double shot, and I heard the 
rush of a large herd of deer coming through the jungle. 
I immediately lay flat upon the ground, and presently 
an immense herd of full a hundred deer passed across 
the glade at full gallop, within seventy yards of me. 
Jumping up, I fired at a doe, and, to my surprise, two 
deer fell to the shot, one of which was a fawn : the ball 
had passed through the shoulder of the mother, and 
had broken the fawn's neck upon the opposite side. 
I am astonished that this chance of killing two at one 
shot does not more often happen when the dense body 
of a herd of deer is exposed to a rifle-ball. 

Deer-stalking is one of the most exciting sports in 
the world. I have often crept upon hands and knees 

* This is necessary to allow the blood to escape, otherwise they 
would be unfit for food- 



Deei'-stalking. 135 

for upward of a quarter of a mile through mud and 
grass to get a shot at a fine antlered buck. It fre- 
quently happens that after a long stalk in this manner, 
when some sheltering object is reached which you have 
determined upon for the shot, just as you raise your 
head above the grass in expectation of seeing the game, 
you find a blank. He has watched your progress by 
the nose, although the danger was hidden from his 
view, and your trouble is unrewarded. 

In all wild shooting, in every country and climate, 
the " wind'' is the first consideration. If you hunt 
down wind, you will never get a deer. You will have 
occasional glimpses of your game, who will be gazing 
intently at you at great distances long before you can 
see them, but you will never get a decent shot. The 
great excitement and pleasure of all sport consists in a 
thorough knowledge of the pursuit. When the dew is 
heavy upon the ground at break of day, you are strolling 
noiselessly along with the rifle, scanning the wide plains 
and searching the banks of the pools and streams for 
tracks of the spotted deer. Upon discovering the 
tracks their date is immediatel}^ known, the vicinity of 
the game is surmised, the tracks are followed up, and 
the herd is at length discovered. The wind is observed ; 
dr}'' leaves crumbled into powder and let fall from the 
hand detect the direction if the slightest air is stirring, 
and the approach is made accordingly. Every stone, 
every bush or tree or tuft of grass, is noted as a cover 
for an advance, and the body being kept in a direct 
line with each of these objects, you approach upon 
hands and knees from each successive place of shelter 
till a proper distance is gained. The stalking is the 
most exciting sport in the world. I have frequently 



136 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

heard my own heart beat while creeping up to a deer 
He is an animal of wonderful acuteness, and possess 
ing the keenest scent ; he is always on the alert, w^atch- 
ing for danger from his stealthy foe the leopard, who is 
a perfect deer-stalker. 

To kill spotted deer well, if they are tolerably wild, 
a person must be a really good rifle shot, otherwise he 
will wound many, but seldom bag one. They are won- 
derfully fast, and their bounding pace makes them ex- 
tremely difficult to hit while running. Even when 
standing, they must be struck either through the head, 
neck, or shoulder, or they will rarely be killed on the 
spot ; in any other part, if wounded, they will escape 
as though untouched, and die a miserable death in soli- 
tude. 

In narrating long shots that I have made, I recount 
them as bright moments in the hours of sport ; they are 
the exceptions and not the rule. I consider a man a 
first-rate shot who can always bag his deer standing at 
eighty yards, or running at fifty. Hitting and bagging 
are widely different. If a man can always bag at the 
distance that I have named, he will constantly hit, and 
frequently bag, at extraordinary ranges,' as there is no 
doubt of his shooting, and, when he misses^ the ball 
has whizzed somewhere very close to the object ; the 
chances are, therefore, in favor of the rifle. 

The deer differ in character in various parts of Cey- 
lon. In some places where they are rarely disturbed 
they can be approached to within thirty or forty paces, 
in which case a very moderate shot can easily kill them ; 
but it is better sport when they are moderately wild. 
The greatest number of deer that I ever saw was in the 
south-eastern part of Ceylon, in the neighborhood of 



Hambantotte Country, \yj 

Pontane and Yall6. The whole of this country is al- 
most uninhabited, and accordingly undisturbed. Yall^ 
is the nearest town of importance, from which a good 
road, lined on either side with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit 
trees, extends as far as Tangalle, fifty miles. A few 
miles beyond this village the wild country begins, and 
Hambantotte is the next station, nearly ninety miles 
from Yalle. The country around Hambantotte is abso- 
lutely frightful — wide extending plains of white sand 
and low scrubby bushes scattered here and there ; salt 
lakes of great extent, and miserable plains of scanty 
herbage, surrounded by dense thorny jungles. Not- 
withstanding this, at some seasons the whole district is 
alive with game. January and February are the best 
months for elephants and buffaloes, and August and 
September are the best seasons for deer, at which time 
the whole country is burnt up with drought, and the 
game is forced to the vicinity of Yalle river and the 
neighboring pools. In the wet season this district is 
nearly flooded, and forms a succession of dense marshes, 
the malaria from which is extremely unhealthy. At this 
time the grass is high, and the elephants are very nu- 
merous. 

When I was in this part of the country the drought 
was excessive ; the jungle was parched, and the leaves 
dropped from the bushes under the influence of a burn- 
ing sun. Not a cloud ever appeared upon the sky, but 
a dazzling haze of intense heat spread over the scorched 
plains. The smaller streams were completely dried up, 
and the large rivers were reduced to small streams in 
the midst of a bed of sand. 

The whole of this country is a succession of flat 
sandy plains and low jungles contiguous to the sea-coast. 
12* 



138 The Rifle a?id Hotuid in Ceylon, 

The intense heat and the glare of the sun rendered the 
journey most fatiguing. I at length descried a long line 
of noble forest in the distance, and this I conjectured 
to be near the river, which turned out to be the case ; 
and we w^ere soon relieved from the burning sun by the 
shade of as splendid a forest as I have ever seen. A 
few hundred yards from the spot at which we had en- 
tered, Yalle river rolled along in a clear stream. In the 
wet season this is a rapid torrent of about a hundred 
and fifty yards in width, but at this time the bed of the 
river was dry, with the exception of a stream of about 
thirty paces broad, which ran directly beneath the bank 
we were descending. 

An unexpected scene now presented itself. The 
wide bed of the river was shaded on either side by 
groves of immense trees, whose branches stretched far 
over the channel ; and not only beneath their shade, 
but in every directiQn, tents formed of talipot leaves 
were pitched, and a thousand men, women and chil- 
dren lay grouped together ; some were bathing in the 
river, some were sitting round their fires cooking a 
scanty meal, others lay asleep upon the sand, but all 
appeared to be congregated together for one purpose ; 
and so various were the castes and costumes that 
every nation of the East seemed to have sent a repre- 
sentative. This was the season for the annual offerings 
to the Kattregam god, to whose temple these pilgrims 
were flocking, and they had made the dry bed of Yalle 
river their temporary halting-place. A few days after 
no less than 18,000 pilgrims congregated at Kattregam. 

I was at this time shooting with my friend, a Mr. H. 
Walters, then of the 15th regiment. We waded up 
the bed of the river for about a mile, and then pitched 



Sitrawelle. 139 

ti"ie tent under some fine trees in the open forest. 
Several wild buffaloes were drinking in the river within 
a short distance of us ; but thinking this a likely spot for 
elephants, we determined not to disturb the neighbor- 
hood by firing a shot until we had first explored the 
country. After a walk of a couple of hours through 
fine open forest and small bushy plains, we came to 
the conclusion that there were very few elephants in 
the country, and we devoted ourselves to other game. 

After a day or two spent in killing deer, a few wild 
buffaloes and only one elephant, I felt convinced that 
we should never find the latter, in the dry state of the 
country, unless by watching at some tank at night. We 
therefore moved our encampment inland about twenty- 
five miles from Yalle. Here there is a large tank, 
which I concluded would be the resort of elephants. 

A long day's journey through a burning sun brought 
us to Sitrawelle. This is a small village about six 
miles inland from the sea-coast village of Kesinde. 
Here the natives brought us plaintains and buffalo 
milk, while we took shelter from the sun under a 
splendid tamarind tree. Opposite to this was a " bo" 
tree ;* this grew to an extraordinary size ; the wide- 
spreading branches covered about half an acre of 
ground, and the trunk measured upward of forty feet 
in circumference. The tamarind tree was nearly the 
same size ; and I never saw together two such mag- 
nificent specimens of vegetation. A few paces from 
this spot a lake of about four miles' circuit lay in the 
centre of a plain ; this was surrounded by open forests 
and jungles, all of which looked like good covers for 
game. Skirting the opposite banks of >the lake, we 
* Very similar to the banian tree. 



140 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

pitched the tent under some shady trees upon a ^&i 
level sward. By this time it was nearly dusk, and I 
had barely time to stroll out and kill a peacock for din- 
ner before night set in. 

The next morning, having been joined by my friend, 
a Mr. P. Braybrook, then government agent of this dis- 
trict, our party was increased to three, and seeing no 
traces of elephants in this neighborhood, we determined 
to proceed to a place called Wiharewell^, about six 
miles farther inland. 

Our route now lay along a broad causeway of solid 
masonry. On either side of this road stone pillars of 
about twelve feet in height stood in broken rows, and 
lay scattered in every direction through the jungle. 
Ruined dagobas and temples jutted their rugged sum- 
mits above the tree-tops, and many lines of stone col- 
umns stood in parallel rows, the ancient supports of 
buildings of a similar character to those of Pollanarua 
and Anarajahpoora. We were among the ruins of 
ancient Mahagam. One of the ruined buildings had 
apparently rested upon seventy-two pillars. These 
were still erect, standing in six lines of twelve col- 
umns : every stone appeared to be about fourteen feet 
high by two feet square and twenty-five feet apart. This 
building must therefore have formed an oblong of three 
hundred feet by one hundred and fifty. Many of the 
granite blocks were covered with rough carving ; large 
flights of steps, now irregular from the inequality of the 
ground, were scattered here and there ; and the general 
appearance of the ruins was similar to that of Polla- 
narua, but of smaller extent. The stone causeway 
which passed through the ruins was about two miles 
in length, being for the most part overgrown with low 



Ruins of Ancient Mahagam, 141 

jungle and prickly cactus. I traversed the jungle for 
some distance until arrested by the impervious nature 
of the bushes ; but v^herever I w^ent the ground was 
strewed with squared stones and fallen brickwork over- 
grown with rank vegetation. 

The records of Ceylon do not afford any satisfactory 
information concerning the original foundation of this 
city ; the first time that we hear of it is in the year 286 
B. c. ; but we have no account of the era or cause of its 
desertion. Although Mahagam is the only vestige of 
an ancient city in this district, there are many ruined 
buildings and isolated dagobas of great antiquity 
scattered throughout the country. I observed on a peak 
of one of the Kattregam hills large masses of fallen 
brickwork, the ruins of some former buildings, probably 
coeval with Mahagam. The whole of this district, now 
so wild and desolate, must in those days have been thickly 
populated and highly cultivated, although, from the 
present appearance of the country, it does not seem pos- 
sible that it has ever altered its aspect since the Creation. 

Descending a steep bank shaded by large trees, we 
crossed the bed of the Manick Ganga (Jewel River). 
The sand was composed of a mixture of mica, quartz, sap- 
phire, ruby and jacinth, but the large proportion of ruby 
sand was so extraordinary that it seemed to rival Sindbad 
the Sailor's vale of gems. The whole of this was val- 
ueless, but the appearance of the sand was very inviting 
as the shallow stream in rippling over it magnified the 
tiny gems into stones of some magnitude. I passed an 
hour in vainly searching for a ruby worth collecting, 
but the largest did not exceed the size of mustard seed. 

The natives use this sand for cutting elephants' teeth, 
in the same manner that a stonemason uses sand to 



142 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

assist him in sawing through a stone. Elephants' teeth 
or grinders are so hard that they will produce sparks 
upon being struck with a hatchet. 

About two miles from the opposite bank of the river, 
having journeyed through a narrow path bordered upon 
either side by thick jungle, we opened upon an exten- 
sive plain close to the village of Wiharewelle. This 
plain was covered with wild indigo, and abounded with 
pea-fowl. Passing through the small village at the ex- 
tremity of the plain, we pitched the tent upon the bor- 
ders of the lake, about a quarter of a mile beyond it. 
This tank was about three miles in circumference, and, 
like that of Sitrawelle, was one of the ancient works 
of the Mahagam princes. 

The village was almost deserted ; none but the old 
men and women and children remained, as the able- 
bodied men had gone to the Kattregam festival. We 
could, therefore, obtain no satisfactory information re- 
garding elephants ; but I was convinced, from the appear- 
ance of the country and from the high grass around 
the lake, that if any elephants were in the district some 
would be here. It was late in the evening, the coolies 
were heaping up the night-fires, and as darkness closed 
upon us the savory steam of a peacock that was roast- 
ing on a stick betokened the welcome approach of din- 
ner. We had hardly commenced when the roaring of 
elephants within a short distance of the tent gave us 
hope of sport on the following day. 

At daybreak the next morning I strolled round the 
lake to look for tracks. A herd of about seven had 
been feeding during the night within half a mile of the 
tent. During my walk I saw innumerable pea-fowl, 
jungle-fowl, hares and ducks, in addition to several 



Wiharcwelle. 143 

herds of deer ; but not wishing to disturb the country, 
I did not fire, but returned to the tent and sent out 
trackers. 

In the afternoon the natives returned with intelligence 
of a small pool two miles from the opposite shore of 
the lake, situated in dense jungle ; here they had seen 
fresh elephant tracks, and they proposed that we should 
watch the pool that evening at the usual drinking hour 
of the game. As this was the only pool of water for 
miles round with the exception of the lake, I thought 
the plan likely to succeed, and we therefore started 
without loss of time. 

On arrival at the pool we took a short survey of oui 
quarters. A small round sheet of water of perhaps 
eighty yards in diameter lay in the midst of a dense 
jungle. Several large trees were growing close to the 
edge, and around these lay numerous rocks of about 
four feet high, forming a capital place for concealment. 
Covering the tops of the rocks with boughs to conceal 
our heads, we lay quietly behind them in expectation ot 
the approaching game. 

The sun sank, and the moon rose in great beauty, 
throwing a silvery light upon the surface of the water 
chequered by the dark shadows of the surrounding 
trees. Suddenly the hoarse bark of an elk sounded with- 
in a short distance, and I could distinguish two or three 
dark forms on the opposite bank. The shrill and con- 
tinual barking of spotted deer now approaching nearei 
and nearer, the rustling in the jungle and the splashing 
in the water announced continual arrivals of game to 
the lonely drinking-place. Notwithstanding the im- 
mense quantity of animals that were congregated to- 
gether, we could not distinguish them plainly on account 



144 '^^^^ Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

of the dark background of jungle. Elk, deer, buffa- 
loes and hogs were all bathing and drinking in immense 
numbers, but there were no elephants. 

For some hours we watched the accumulation of 
game ; there was not a breath of air, although the scud 
was flying fast above us, occasionally throwing a veil 
over the moon and casting a sudden obscurity on the 
dim scene before us. Our gun-bearers were crouched 
around us ; their dark skins matching with the ground 
on which they squatted, they looked like so many 
stumps of trees. It was nearly ten o'clock, and my 
eyes ached with watching ; several times I found my- 
self nodding as sleep took me by surprise ; so, leaving 
a man to look out, we sat quietly down and discussed a 
cold fowl that we had brought with us. 

We had just finished a pint bottle of cherry brandy 
when I felt a gentle touch upon my shoulder, and our 
lookout man whispered in my ear the magic word 
"alia" (elephant), at the same time pointing in the 
direction of the tank. The guns were all wrapped up 
in a blanket to keep them from the dew, so telling W. 
to uncover them and to distribute them to the respective 
gun-bearers without noise, I crept out and stole unper- 
ceived along the margin of the tank to discover the 
number and position of the elephants. So deceitful 
was the moonlight, being interrupted by the dark 
shadows of the jungle, that I was within ten paces of 
the nearest elephant before I distinguished her. I 
counted three elephants — one large and two others about 
six feet high. Being satisfied with my information, and 
having ascertained that no others were in the jungle, I 
returned to my companions : they were all ready, and 
we crept forward. We were within ten pacea of the 



Shooting by Moonlight, 145 

large elephant, when a branch of hooked thorn caught 
W. by the clothes ; the noise that he made in extricat- 
ing himself immediately attracted the attention of the 
elephant, and she turned quickly round, receiving at 
the same moment an ineffectual shot from W. B. at 
the same time fired without effect at one of the small 
elephants. The mother, hearing a roar from the small 
elephant that B. had wounded, immediately rushed up 
to it, and they stood side by side in the water about fif- 
teen yards from the bank. The large elephant now 
cocked her ears and turned her head from side to side with 
great quickness to discover an enemy. I ran close to 
the water's edge, and the mother perceiving me imme- 
diately came forward. I could hardly distinguish the 
sights of my rifle, and I was, therefore, obliged to wait 
till she was within four or five paces before I fired. She 
gave me a good shot and dropped dead. The young 
one was rushing about and roaring in a tremendous 
manner, having again been fired at and wounded by B 
and W. By this time I had got a spare gun, and, wad 
ing into the tank, I soon came to such close quarters 
that I could not miss, and one shot killed him. The 
other small elephant escaped unseen in the confusion 
caused by the firing. 

The following evening we again watched the pool, 
and once more a mother and her young one came to 
drink. W. and B. extinguished the young one while I 
killed the mother. 

This watching by moonlight is a kind of sport that 
I do not admire ; it is a sort of midnight murder ; and 
many a poor brute who comes to the silent pool to cool 
his parched tongue finds only a cup of bitterness, and 
retires again to his jungle haunts to die a lingering 
13 K 



146 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

death from some unskillful wound. The best shot must 
frequently miss by moonlight ; there is a silvery glare 
which renders all objects indistinct and the shot very 
doubtful ; thus two animals out of three fired at will 
generally escape wounded. 

I was tired of watching by night, and I again re- 
turned to the neighborhood of Yalle. After a long 
ride through a burning sun, I went down to the river to 
bathe. The water was not more than three feet deep, 
and was so clear that every pebble was plainly distin- 
guishable at the bottom. 

I had waded hip-deep into the river when my servant, 
who was on the bank, suddenly cried out, " Sar ! sar ! 
come back, sar ! Mora ! mora ! " and he pointed to 
some object a little higher up the stream. It was now 
within ten or twelve yards of me, and 1 fancied that it 
was a piece of drift timber, but I lost no time in reach- 
ing the shore. Slowly the object sailed along with the 
stream, but as it neared me, to my astonishment, a large 
black fin protruded from the water, a^d the mystery 
was at once cleared up. It was a large shark about 
nine feet long. 

In some places the water was so shallow that his tail 
< and a portion of his back was now and then above the 
surface. He was in search of gray mullet, with which 
fish the ri\er abounded ; and at this season sharks were 
very numerous, as they followed the shoals for some dis- 
, tance up the river. My servant had been in a great 
state of alarm, as he thought his master would have 
been devoured in a few seconds ; but the natives of the 
village quietly told me not to be afraid, but to bathe in 
peace, "<25 sharks zvould ?iot eat Tnen at this season^ 
I was not disposed to put his epicurean scruples to the 



TalU River, v 17 

test: as some persons may kill a pheasant before tlie 
first of October, so he might have made a grab at me a 
little before the season, which would have been equally 
disagreeable to my feelings. The novelty of a white 
skin in that clear river might have proved too strong a 
temptation for a shark to withstand. 

I never saw game in such masses as had now col- 
lected in this neighborhood. The heat was intense, 
and the noble forest in the vicinity of Yalle river offered 
an asylum to all animals beneath its shade, where good 
water and fine grass upon the river's bank supplied 
their wants. In this forest there was little or no under- 
wood ; the trees grew to an immense size and stood 
far apart, so that a clear range might be obtained for a 
hundred yards. It was, therefore, a perfect spot for 
deer-stalking; the tops of the trees formed an imper- 
vious screen to the sun's rays ; and I passed several 
days in wandering with my rifle through these shady 
solitudes, killing an immense quantity of game. The 
deer were in such masses that I restricted myself to 
bucks, and I at length became completely satiated. 
There was too much game ; during a whole day's 
walk I was certainly not Jive minutes without seeing 
either deer, elk, buffaloes or hogs. The noise of the rifle 
did not appear to scare them from the forest ; they 
would simply retreat for a time to some other portion 
of it, and fresh herds were met with in following up 
one w^iich had been disturbed. Still, there were no 
elephants. Although I had upward of fifty coolies 
and servants, they could not dry the venison sufficiently 
fast to prevent the deer from stinking as they were 
killed, and I resolved to leave the country. 

I gave orders for everything to be packed up in 



148 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 

readiness for a start, after an early breakfast, on the fol- 
lowing morning. The servants were engaged in ar- 
ranging for the departure, when a native brought intel- 
ligence of a rogue elephant within four miles of the 
tent. It was late in the afternoon, but I had not seen 
an elephant for so long that I was determined to make 
his acquaintance. My friend B. accompanied me, and 
we immediately started on horseback. 

Our route lay across very extensive plains, inter- 
spersed with low thorny bushes and wide salt lakes. 
Innumerable wild hogs invited us to a chase. There 
could not be a better spot for boar-spearing, as the 
ground is level and clear for riding. There were 
numerous herds of deer and buffaloes, but we did not 
fire a shot, as w^e had determined upon an interview 
with the rogue. We traversed about four miles of this 
style of country, and were crossing a small plain, when 
our guide suddenly stopped and pointed to the ele- 
phant, who was about a quarter of a mile distant. He 
was standing on a little glade of about fifty yards 
across ; this was surrounded upon all sides but one 
with dense thorny jungle, and he therefore stood in a 
small bay of open ground. It was a difficult position 
for an attack. The wind blew directly from us to him, 
therefore an advance in that direction was out of the 
question ; on the other hand, if we made a circuit so as 
to get the wind, we should have to penetrate through 
the thorny jungle to arrive at him, and we should then 
have the five o'clock sun directly in our eyes. How- 
ever, there was no alternative, and, after a little con- 
sultation, the latter plan was resolved upon. 

Dismounting, we ordered the horsekeepers to conceal 
the horses and themselves behind a thick bush, lest the 



A Stroll before Breakfast. 149 

elephant should observe them, and with this precaution 
we advanced, making a circuit of nearly a mile to ob- 
tain the wind. On arrival at the belt of thick jungle 
which divided us from the small glade upon which he 
stood, I perceived, as I had expected, that the sun was 
full in our eyes. This was a disadvantage which I felt 
convinced would lose us the elephant, unless some ex- 
traordinary chance intervened ; however, we entered 
the thick jungle before us, and cautiously pushed our 
way through it. This belt was not more than fifty 
yards in width, and we soon broke upon the small 

glade. 

The elephant was standing with his back toward us, 
at about forty paces distant, close to the thick jungle by 
his side; and, taking my four-ounce rifle, I walked 
quietly but quickly toward him. Without a moment's 
warning he flung his trunk straight up, and, turning 
sharp round, he at once charged into us. The sun 
shone full in my eyes, so that I could do nothing but 
fire somewhere at his head. He fell, but immediately 
recovered himself, and before the smoke had cleared 
away he was in full retreat through the thorny jungle, 
the heavy ball having taken all the pluck out of him. 
This was just as I had expected ; pursuit in such a jun- 
gle was impossible, and I was perfectly contented with 
having turned him. 

The next morning, having made all arrangements 
for starting homeward, after breakfast I took my rifle 
and one gun-bearer with a double-barreled gun to enjoy 
one last stroll in the forest. It was just break of day 
when I entered the forest. My first course was to- 
ward the river which flowed through it, as I expected 
to find the game near the water, an hour before sunrise 
18 » 



150 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

being their time for drinking. I had not proceeded far 
before immense herds of deer offered tempting shots ; 
but I was out simply in search of large antlers, and none 
appearing of sufficient size, I would not fire. Buffaloes 
continually presented themselves: I was tired of shoot- 
ing these brutes, but I killed two who looked rather 
vicious ; and I amused myself with remarking the im- 
mense quantity of game, and imagining the number of 
heads that I could bag had I chosen to indulge in indis- 
criminate slaughter. At length I noticed a splendid 
buck lying on the sandy bed of the river, beneath a 
large tree ; his antlers were beautiful, and I stalked 
him to within sixty yards and shot him. I had not 
been reloaded ten minutes, and was walking quietly 
through the forest, when I saw a fine antlered buck 
standing wn'thin thirty yards of me, in a small patch of 
underwood. His head was turned toward me, and 
his nostrils were distended in alarm as he prepared to 
bound off. I had just time to cock my rifle as he 
dashed off at full speed ; but it was a murderous dis- 
tance, and he fell dead. His antlers matched exactly 
with those I had last shot. 

I turned toward the direction of the tent, and, de- 
scending to the bed of the river, I followed the course 
of the stream upon the margin of dry sand. I had pro- 
ceeded about half a mile, when I noticed at about a 
hundred and fifty paces some object moving about the 
trunk of a large fallen tree which lay across the bed of 
the river. This stem was about five feet in diameter, 
and I presently distinguished the antlers and then the 
head of a large buck, as they appeared above it : he had 
been drinking in the stream on the opposite side, and 
he n©w raised his head, sniffing the fresh breeze. It 



A Ctirious Shot. 15 1 

was a tempting shot, and taking a very steady aim, I 
fired. For a moment he was down, but recovering 
himself he bounded up the bank, and was soon in full 
speed through the forest with only one antler upon his 
head. I picked up the fellow-antler, which the rifle- 
ball had cut off within an inch of his skull. This was 
a narrow escape. 

I did not reload my rifle, as I was not far from the 
tent, and I was tired of shooting. Giving my rifle to 
the gun-bearer, I took the double-barreled gun which 
he carried, and walked quickly toward breakfast. 
Suddenly I heard a crash in a small nook of thick 
bushes, like the rush of an elephant, and the next in- 
stant a buck came dashing past in full speed : his long 
antlers lay upon his back as he flew through the tangled 
saphngs with a force that seemed to defy resistance. 
He was the largest spotted buck that I ever saw, 
and, being within thirty paces, I took a flying shot with 
the right-hand barrel. He faltered for a moment, and 
I immediately fired the remaining barrel. Still he con- 
tinued his course, but at a reduced speed and dead 
lame. Loading the rifle, I soon got upon the blood- 
track, and I determined to hunt him down. 

There were many saplings in this part of the forest, 
and I noticed that many of them in the deer's track 
were besmeared with blood about two feet and a half 
from the ground. The tracks in the sandy soil were 
uneven — one of the fore feet showed a deep impression, 
while the other was very faint, showing that he was 
wounded in the leg, as his whole weight was thrown 
upon one foot. Slowly and cautiously I stalked along 
the track, occasionally lying down to look under the 
bushes. For about an hour I continued this slow and 



152 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

silent chase ; the tracks became fainter, and the bleed- 
ing appeared to have almost ceased ; so few and far be- 
tween were the red drops upon the ground that I was 
constantly obliged to leave the gun-bearer upon the last 
trace while I made a cast to discover the next track. 
I was at length in despair of finding him, and I was 
attentively scrutinizing the ground for a trace of blood, 
which would distinguish his track from those of other 
deer with which the ground was covered, when I sud- 
denly heard a rush in the underwood, and away 
bounded the buck at ab)out fifty yards' distance, ap- 
parently as fresh as ever. The next instant he was 
gasping on the ground, the rifle-ball having passed ex- 
actly through his heart. I never could have believed 
that a spotted buck would have attained so large a size ; 
he was as large as a doe elk, and his antlers were the 
finest that I have ever seen of that species. It required 
eight men with two cross poles to bring him home. 

I reached the tent to breakfast at eight o'clock, hav- 
ing bagged three fine bucks and two buffaloes that 
morning ; and being, for the time, satiated with sporty I 
quitted Ceylon. 



? j<jaOT«p>=^ Agy ^iiBpg« a HB|w ' M WWl'i*Tliti['"'<P' ' JH 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Beat-hounds for Elk-hunting — Smut — Killbuck — The Hor- 
TON Plains — A Second Soyer — The Find — The Buck at 
Bay — The Bay — The Death — Return of Lost Dogs — 
Comparative Speed of Deer — Veddah Ripped by a Boar 
— A Melee — Buck at Black Pool— Old Smut's Ruse — 
Margosse Oil, 

THE foregoing description of sporting incidents 
closed my first visit to Ceylon. I had arrived 
in the island to make a tour of the country and to enjoy 
its sports ; this I had accomplished by a residence of 
twelve months, the whole of which had been occupied 
in wandering from place to place. I now returned to 
England, but the Fates had traced another road for me, 
and after a short stay in the old country, I again started 
for Ceylon, and became a resident at Newera Ellia. 

Making use of the experience that I had gained in 
wild sports, I came out well armed, according to my 
own ideas of weapons for the chase. I had ordered 
four double-barreled rifles of No. lo bore, to be made 
to my own pattern ; my hunting knives and boar-spear 
heads I had made to my own design by Paget of Picca- 
dilly, who turned out the perfection of steel ; and I ar- 
rived in Ceylon with a pack of fine foxhounds and a 
favorite grayhound of wonderful speed and strength, 
" Bran," who, though full of years, is still alive. 
163 



154 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon, 

The usual drawbacks and discomforts attendant upon 
a new settlement having been overcoine, Newera Ellia 
forms a delightful place of residence. I soon discovered 
that a pack of thorough-bred foxhounds were not 
adapted to a country so enclosed by forest : some of 
the hounds were lost, others I parted with, but they 
are all long since dead, and their progeny, the offspring 
of crosses with pointers, bloodhounds and half-bred 
fox-hounds, have turned out the right stamp for elk- 
hunting. 

It is a difficult thing to form a pack for this sport 
which shall be perfect in all respects. Sometimes a 
splendid hound in character may be more like a 
butcher's dog than a hound in appearance, but the 
pack cannot afford to part with him if he is really 
good. 

The casualties from leopards, boars, elk and lost 
dogs are so great that the pack is with difficulty kept 
up by breeding. It must be remembered that the 
place of a lost dog cannot be easily supplied in Cey- 
lon. Newera Ellia is one of the rare climates in Cey- 
lon v^hich is suited to the constitution of a dog. In the 
low and hot climates they lead a short and miserable life, 
which is soon ended by a liver complaint ; thus, if a 
supply for the pack cannot be kept up by breeding, 
hounds must be procured from England at a great ex- 
pense and risk. 

The pack now in the kennel is as near perfection as 
can be attained for elk-hunting, comprising ten couple, 
most of whom are nearly thorough-bred foxhounds, 
with a few couple of immense seizers, a cross between 
bloodhound and grayhound, and a couple of large wire- 
haired lurchers, like the Scotch deer-hound. 



" Smutr 155 

In describing the sport, I must be permitted to call 
up the spirits of a few heroes, who are now dead, and 
place them in the vacant places which they formerly 
occupied in the pack. 

The first who answers to the magic call is " Smut," 
hero of at least four hundred deaths of elk and boar. 
He appears — the same well-remembered form of 
strength, the sullen growl which greeted even his 
master, the numerous scars and seams upon his body: 
behold old " Smut !" His sire was a Manilla blood- 
hound, which accounted for the extreme ferocity of the 
son. His courage was indomitable. He was a large 
dog, but not high, considering his great length, but his 
limbs were immense in proportion. His height at the 
shoulder was 26J inches ; his girth of brisket 34 inches. 
-In his younger days he always opened upon a scent, 
and the rocky mountains and deep valleys have often 
echoed back his deep notes, which have now, like him- 
self, passed away. As he grew older he became cun- 
ning, and he ran entirely mute, knowing well that the 
more noise the elk heard behind him the faster he 
would run. I have frequently known him to be out 
by himself all night, and return the next morning 
blown out with food which he had procured for him- 
self by pulling down a doe single-handed. When he 
was a young dog, and gave tongue upon a scent, a 
challenge was offered, but never accepted, that the dog 
should find, hunt and pull down two buck elk, single- 
handed, within a fortnight, assisted only by his master, 
with no other weapon than a hunting-knife : there is 
no doubt whatever that he would have performed it 
easily. He then belonged to Lieut. Pardoe, of the 
Fifteenth regiment. 



156 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

He had several pitched battles with leopards, from 
which he has returned frightfully torn, but with his yel- 
low hair bristled up, his head and stern erect ; and his 
deep growl, with which he gave a dubious reception to 
both man and beast, was on those occasions doubly 
threatening. 

I never knew a dog that combined superlative valor 
with discretion in the degree exhibited by " Smut." I 
have seen many dogs who would rush heedlessly upon 
a boar's tusks to certain destruction ; but Smut would 
never seize until the proper time arrived, and when the 
opportunity offered he never lost it. This rendered 
him of great value in these wild sports, where the dog 
and his master are mutually dependent upon each other. 
There was nothing to fear if Smut was there : w^hether 
boar or buck you might advance fearlessly to him with 
the knife, with the confidence that the dog would pin 
the animal the instant that it turned to attack vou ; and 
when he once obtained his. hold he was seldom shaken 
off until in his old age, when he lost his teeth. Even 
then he was always one of the first to seize. Although 
comparatively useless, the spirit was ever willing ; and 
this courage, poor fellow, at length caused his death. 

The next dog who claims a tribute to his memory is 
" Killbuck." He was an Australian grayhound of the 
most extraordinary courage. He stood at the shoulder 
28 inches high ; girth of brisket, 31 inches. 

Instead of the surly and ferocious disposition of 
^' Smut," he was the most gentle and affectionate crea- 
ture. It was a splendid sight to witness the bounding 
spring of Killbuck as he pinned an elk at bay that no 
other dog could touch. He had a peculiar knack of 
seizing that I never saw equaled : no matter where or 



" Killbuck;' etc. 157 

in what position an elk might be, he was sure to have 
him. When once started from the sHps it was certain 
death to the animal he coursed, and even when out of 
view, and the elk had taken to the jungle, I have seen 
the dog, with his nose to the ground, following upon 
the scent at full speed like a fox-hound. I never heard 
him bark at game when nt bay. With a bulldog cour- 
age he would recklessly fly straight at the animal's 
head, unheeding the wounds received in the struggle. 
This unguided courage at length caused his death when 
in the very prime of his life. Poor Killbuck ! His was 
a short but glorious career, and his name will never be 
^rgotten. 

Next in rotation in the chronicles of seizers appears 
" Lena," who is still alive, an Australian bitch of great 
size, courage and beauty, wire-haired, like a Scotch 
deer-hound. 

" Bran," a perfect model of a grayhound. 

" Lucifer," combining the beauty, speed and courage 
|»f his parents, " Bran " and " Lena," in a superlative 
degree. 

There are many others that I could call from the pack 
and introduce as first-rate hounds, but as no jealousy 
will be occasioned by their omission, I shall be con- 
ented with those already named. 

Were I to recount the twentieth part of the scenes 
that I have witnessed in this sport, it would fill a vol- 
ume, and become very tedious. A few instances related 
will at once explain the whole character of the sport, 
and introduce a stranger to the wild hunts of the Ceylon 
mountains. 

*' Ithave already described Newera Ellia, with its alter- 
nate plains and forests, its rapid streams and cataracts, 
a4 



1^8 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

its mountains, valleys and precipices ; but a portion of 
th?s country, called the Horton Plains, will need a fur 
ther description. 

Some years ago, I hunted with a brother Nimrod 
Lieut, de Montenach, of the Fifteenth regiment, in thit 
country ; and in two months we killed forty-three elk. 

The Horton Plains are about twenty miles from 
Newera Ellia. After a walk of sixteen miles through 
alternate plains and forests, the steep ascent of Totapella 
mountain is commenced by a rugged path through 
jungle the whole way. So steep is the track that a 
horse ascends with difficulty, and riding is of course 
impossible. After a mile and a quarter of almost per- 
pendicular scrambling, the summit of the pass is 
reached, commanding a splendid view of the surround- 
ing country, and Newera Ellia can be seen far beneath 
in the distance. Two miles farther on, after a walk 
through undulating forest, the Horton Plains burst sud- 
denly upon the view as you emerge from the jungle 
path. These plains are nearly 800 feet higher than 
Newera Ellia, or 7000 feet above the sea. The whole 
aspect of the country appears at once to have assumed 
a new character ; there is a feeling of being on the top 
of everything, and instead of a valley among surround- 
ing hills, which is the feature of Newera Ellia and the 
adjacent plains, a beautiful expanse of flat table-land 
stretches before the eye, bounded by a few insignificant 
hill-tops. There is a peculiar freedom in the Horton 
Plains, an absence from everywhere, a wildness in the 
thought that there is no tame animal within many miles, 
not a village, nor hut, nor human being. It makes a 
man feel in reality one of the " lords of the creation" 
when he first stands upon this elevated plain, and, 



The Uorton Plains. 159 

breathing the pure thin air, he takes a survey of his 
hunting-ground : no boundaries but mountain tops 
and the horizon ; no fences but the trunks of decayed 
trees fallen from old age ; no game laws but strong legs, 
good wind and the hunting-knife ; no paths but those 
trodden by the elk and elephant. Every nook and cor- 
ner of this wild country is as familiar to me as my own 
garden. There is not a valley that has not seen a burst 
in full cry ; not a plain that has not seen the grayhounds 
in full speed after an elk ; and not a deep pool in the 
river that has not echoed v/ith a bay that has made the 
rocks ring again. 

To give a person an interest in the sport the country 
must be described minutely. The plain already men- 
tioned as the flat table-land first seen on arrival is about 
five miles in length and two in breath in the widest part. 
This is tolerably level, with a few gentle undulations, 
and is surrounded, on all sides but one, with low, for- 
est-covered slopes. The low portions of the plains are 
swamps, from which springs a large river, the source 
of the Mahawelli Ganga. 

From the plain now described about fifteen others 
diverge, each springing from the parent plain, and 
increasing in extent as they proceed ; these are con- 
nected more or less by narrow valleys and deep ravines. 
Through the greater portion of these plains the river 
winds its wild course. In the first a mere brook, it 
rapidly inci'eases as it traverses the lower portions of 
every valley, until it attains a width of twenty or thirty 
yards within a mile of the spot where it is first discern- 
ible as a stream. Every plain in succession being lower 
than the first, the course of the river is extremely irreg- 
ular ; now a maze of tortuous windings, then a broad. 



i6o The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

still stream, bounded by grassy undulations ; now rush- 
ing wildly through a hundred channels formed by 
obtruding rocks, then in a still, deep pool, gathering 
itself together for a mad leap over a yawning precipice, 
and roaring at a hundred feet beneath, it settles in the 
lower plain in a pool of unknown depth, and once 
more it murmurs through another valley. 

In the large pools formed by the sudden turns in the 
river the elk generally takes his last determined stand, 
and he sometimes keeps dogs and men at bay for a 
couple of hours. These pools are generally about sixty 
yards across, very deep in some parts, with a large, 
shallow sandbank in the centre, formed by the eddy of 
the river. 

We built a hunting bivouac in a snug corner of the 
plains, which gloried in the name of " Elk Lodge." 
This famous hermitage was a substantial building, and 
afforded excellent accommodation : a verandah in the 
front, twenty-eight feet by eight ; a dining-room twenty 
feet by twelve, with a fire-place eight feet wide ; and 
two bed-rooms of twenty feet by eight. Deer-hides were 
pegged down to form a carpet upon the floors, and the 
walls were neatly covered with talipot leaves. The 
outhouses consisted of the kennel, stables for three 
horses, kitchen and sheds for twenty coolies and serv- 
ants. 

The fire-place was a rough piece of art, upon which 
we prided ourselves extremely. A party of eight per- 
sons could have sat before it with comfort. Many a 
roaring fire has blazed up that rude chimney ; and din- 
ner being over, the little round table before the hearth 
has steamed forth a fragrant attraction when the nightly 
bowl of mulled port has taken its accustomed stand. I 




A Second Soyer, i6l 

have spent many happy hours in this said spot ; the even 
ings were of a decidedly social character. The day's 
hunting over, it was a delightful hour at about seven 
p. M. — dinner just concluded, the chairs brought before 
the fire, cigars and the said mulled port. Eight o'clock 
was the hour for bed, and five in the morning was the 
hour to rise, at which time a cup of hot tea and a slice 
of toast and anchovy paste were always ready before.the 
start. The great man of our establishment was the 
cook. This knight of the gridiron was a famous fel- 
low, and could perform wonders ; of stoical counten- 
ance, he was never seen to smile. His whole thoughts 
were concentrated in the mysteries of gravies and 
the magic transformation of one animal into another by 
the art of cookery : in this he excelled to a marvelous 
degree. The farce of ordering dinner was always ab- 
surd. It was something in this style : " Cook ! " 
( Cook answers)^ " Coming, sar ! " {enter cook) : '' Now, 
cook, you make a good dinner ; do you hear } " Cook : 
"Yes, sar : master tell, I make." — " Well, mulligatawny 
soup." " Yes, sar." — " Calves' head, with tongue and 
brain-sauce." " Yes, sar." — " Gravy omelette." " Yes, 
sar."—" Mutton chops." " Yes, sar."—" Fowl cotelets." 
" Yes, sar."—" Beefsteaks." " Yes, sar."—" Marrow- 
bones." " Yes, sar."— " Rissoles." "Yes, sar." All 
these various dishes he literally imitated uncommonly 
well, the different portions of an elk being their only 
foundation. 

The kennel bench was comfortably littered, and the 
pack took possession of their new abode with the usual 
amount of growling and quarreling for places ; the 
angry grumbling continuing throughout the night be- 
tween the three champions of the kennel^-Smut, Bran 



l63 The Rifle a7id Hound in Ceylon, 

and Killbuck. After a night much disturbed by this 
constant quarreling, v^e unkenneled the hounds just as 
the first gray streak of dawn spread above Totapella 
peak. 

The mist was hanging heavily on the lower parts of 
the plain like a thick snowbank, although the sky was 
beautifully clear above, in which a few pale stars still 
glimmered. Long lines of fog were slowly drifting 
along the bottoms of the valleys, dispelled by a light 
breeze ; and day fast advancing bid fair for sport ; a 
heavy dew lay upon the grass ; and we stood for some 
moments in uncertainty as to the first point of our ex- 
tensive hunting-grounds that we should beat. There 
were fresh tracks of elk close to our " lodge," w^ho had 
been surveying our new settlement during the night. 
Crossing the river by wading waist-deep, we skirted 
along the banks, winding through a narrow valley with 
grassy hills capped with forest upon either side. Our 
object in doing this was to seek for tracks where the 
elk had come down to drink during the night, as we 
knew that the tracks would then lead to the jungle 
upon either side the river. We had strolled quietly 
along for about half a mile when the loud bark of an 
elk was suddenly heard in the jungle upon the opposite 
hills. In a moment the hounds dashed across the river 
toward the well-known sound, and entered the jungle 
at full speed. Judging the direction which the elk 
would most probably take when found, I ran along the 
bank of the river, down stream, for a quarter of a mile, 
toward a jungle through which the river flowed previous 
to its descent into the lower plains, and I waited upon 
a steep grassy hill, about a hundred feet above the 
river's bed. From this spot I had a fine view of the 



The Find. 163 

ground. Immediately before me rose the hill from 
which the elk had barked ; beneath my feet the river 
stretched into a wide pool on its entrance to the jungle. 
This jungle clothed the precipitous cliffs of a deep ra- 
vine, down which the river fell in two cataracts, which 
were concealed from view by the forest. I waited in 
breathless expectation of " the find.'' A few minutes 
passed, when the sudden burst of the pack in full cry 
came sweeping down upon the light breeze ; loudly the 
cheering sound swelled as they topped the hill, and 
again it died away as they crossed some deep ravine. 
In a few minutes the cry became very distant, as the 
elk was evidently making straight up the hills : once or 
twice I feared he would ci'oss them, and make away 
for a different part of the country. The cry of the 
pack was so indistinct that my ear could barely catch 
it, when suddenly a gust of wind from that direction 
brought down a chorus of voices that there was no mis- 
taking : louder and louder the cry became ; the elk had 
turned, and was coming down the hill-side at a slap- 
ping pace. The jungle crashed as he came rushing 
through the yielding branches. Out he came, break- 
ing cover in fine style, and away he dashed over the 
open country. He was a noble buck, and had got a 
long start : not a single hound had yet appeared, but I 
heard them coming through the jungle in full cry. 
Down the side of the hill he came straight to the pool 
beneath my feet. Yoick to him ! Hark forward to 
him ! and I gave a view holloa till my lungs had well- 
nigh cracked. I had lost sight of him as he had taken 
to water in the pool within the jungle. 

One more halloa ! and out came the gallant old fel- 
low Smut from the jungle, on the exact line that the 



164 TTie Rifle and Hound in Ceylon^ 

elk had taken. On he came bounding along the rough 
side of the hill like a lion, followed by only two dogs- 
Dan, a pointer (since killed by a leopard), and Cato, a 
young dog who had never yet seen an elk. The re- 
mainder of the pack had taken after a doe that had 
crossed the scent, and they were now running in a 
different direction. I now imagined that the elk had 
gone down the ravine to the lower plains by some run 
that might exist along the edge of the cliff, and accord- 
ingly started off along a deer-path through the jungle, 
to arrive at the lower plains by the shortest road that I 
could make. 

Hardly had I run a hundred yards when I heard the 
ringing of the bay and the deep voice of Smut, mingled 
with the roar of the waterfall, to which I had been run- 
ning parallel. Instantly changing my course, I was in 
a few moments on the bank of the river just above the 
fall. There stood the buck at bay in a large pool about 
three feet deep, where the dogs could only advance by 
swimming. Upon my jumping into the pool he broke 
his bay, and, dashing through the dogs, appeared to 
leap over the verge of the cataract, but in reality he 
took to a deer-path which skirted the steep side of the 
wooded precipice. So steep was the inclination that I 
could only follow on his track by clinging to the stems 
of the trees. The roar of the waterfall, now only a few 
feet on my right hand, completely overpowered the 
voices of the dogs wherever they might be, and I care- 
fully commenced a perilous descent by the side of the 
fall, knowing that both dogs and elk must be some- 
where before me. So stunning was the roar of the 
water that a cannon might have been fired without 
my hearing it. I was now one-third of the way down 



The Bay. 165 

the fall, which was about fifty feet deep. A large flat 
rock projected from the side of the cliff, forming a plat- 
form of about six feet square, over one corner of which 
the water struck and again bounded downward. This 
platform could only be reached by a narrow ledge of 
rock, beneath which, at a depth of thirty feet, the water 
boiled at the foot of the fall. Upon this platform stood 
the buck, having gained his secure but frightful posi- 
tion by passing along the narrow ledge of rock. 
Should either dog or man attempt to advance, one 
charge from the buck would send them to perdition, as 
they would fall into the abyss below. This the dogs 
were fully aware of, and they accordingly kept up a 
continual bay from the edge of the cliff, while I at- 
tempted to dislodge him by throwing stones and sticks 
upon him from above. Finding this uncomfortable, he 
made a sudden dash forward, and, striking the dogs 
over, away he went down the steep sides of the ravine, 
followe.d once more by the dogs and myself. 

By clinging from tree to tree and lowering myself 
by the tangled creepers, I was soon at the foot of the 
first fall, which plunged into a deep pool on a flat 
plateau of rock bounded on either side by a wall-like 
precipice. 

This plateau was about eighty feet in length, through 
which the water flowed in two rapid but narrow streams 
from the foot of the first fall toward a second cataract 
at the extreme end. This second fall leaped from the 
centre of the ravine into the lower plain. 

When I arrived on this fine level surface of rock, a 
splendid sight preseaited itself. In the centre of one of 
the rapid streams the buck stood at bay, belly-deep, with 
the torrent rushing in foam between his legs. His mane 



1 66 T7ie Rifle and Hound in Ceylon* 

was bristled up, his nostrils were distended, and his 
antlers were lowered to receive the dog who should 
first attack him. I happened to have a spear on that 
occasion, so that I felt he could not escape, and I gave 
the baying dogs a loud cheer on. Poor Cato ! it was 
his first elk, and he little knew the danger of a buck at 
bay in such a strong position. Answering with youth- 
ful ardor to my halloa, the young dog sprang boldly at 
the elk's face, but, caught upon the ready antlers, he 
was instantly dashed senseless upon the rocks. Now 
for old Smut, the hero of countless battles, who, though 
pluck to the back-bone, always tempers his valor with 
discretion ! 

Yoick to him. Smut ! and I jumped into the water. 
The buck made a rush forward, but at that moment a 
mass of yellow hair dangled before his eyes as the true 
old dog hung upon his cheek. Now came the tug of 
war — only one seizer ! The spring had been so great, 
and the position of the buck was so secure, that the dog 
had missed the ear, and only held by the cheek. The 
elk, in an instant, saw his advantage, and quick^ly 
thrusting his sharp brow antlers into the dog's chest, 
he reared to his full height and attempted to pin the 
apparently fated Smut against a rock. That had been 
the last of Smut's days of prowess had I not fortunately 
had a spear. I could just reach the elk's shoulder in 
time to save the dog. After a short but violent strug- 
gle, the buck yielded up his spirit. He w^as a noble 
fellow, and pluck to the last. 

Having secured his horns to a bush, lest he should be 
washed away by the torrent, I examined the dogs. 
Smut was wounded in two places, but not severely, and 
Cato had just recovered his senses, out was so bruised 



Return of Lost Dogs. 167 

as to move with great difficulty. In addition to this he 
had a deep wound from the buck's horn under the 
shoulder. 

The great number of elks at the Horton Plains, and 
the open character of the country, make the hunting a 
far more enjoyable sport than it is in Newera Ellia, 
where the plains are of much smaller extent, and the 
jungles are frightfully thick. During a trip of two 
months at the Horton Plains, we killed forty-three elks, 
exclusive of about ten, which the pack ran into and 
killed by themselves, bringing home the account of their 
performances in distended stomachs. These occur- 
rences frequently happen when the elk takes away 
through an impervious country, through which a man 
cannot possibly follow. In such cases, the pack is, 
either beaten off, or they pull the elk down and devour 
it. 

This was exemplified some time ago, when the three 
best dogs were nearl}^ lost. A doe elk broke cover from 
a small jungle at the Horton Plains, and, instead of 
taking across the patinas (plains), she doubled back to 
an immense pathless jungle, closely followed by three 
grayhounds — Killbuck, Bran and Lena. The first dog, 
who ran beautifully by nose, led the way, and their di- 
rection was of course unknown, as the dogs were all 
mute. Night came, and they had not returned. The 
next day passed away, but without a sign of the missing 
dogs. I sent natives to search the distant jungles and 
ravines in all directions. Three days passed away, and 
I gave up all hope of them. We were sitting at dinner 
one night, the fire was blazing cheerfully within, but 
the rain was pouring without, the wind was howling in. 
fitful gusts, and neither moon nor stars relieved the 



1 68 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon* 

pitchy darkness of the night, when the conversation 
naturally turned to the poor lost dogs. What a night 
for the poor brutes to be exposed to, roaming about the 
wet jungles without a chance of return ! 

A sudden knock at the door arrested our attention ; 
it opened. Two natives stood there, dripping with wet 
and shivering with cold. One had in his hand an elk's 
head, much gnawed ; the other man, to my delight, led 
the three lost dogs. They had run their elk down, and 
were found by the side of a rocky river several miles 
distant — the two dogs asleep in a cave, and the bitch 
was gnawing the remains of the half-consumed animal. 
The two men who had found them were soon squatted 
before a comfortable fire, with a good feed of curry 
and rice, and their skins full of brandy. 

Although the elks are so numerous at the Horton 
Plains, the sport at length becomes monotonous from 
the very large proportion of the does. The usual ratio 
in which they were killed was one buck to eight do'es. 
I cannot at all account for this small proportion of 
bucks in this particular spot. At Newera Ellia they 
are as two to three, as compared with the does. The 
following extract of deaths, taken from my game-book 
during three months of the year, will give a tolerably 
accurate idea of the number killed : 

1852. March 24- Doe - - Killed in the Elk Plains. 

30. Two Does Killed in Newera Ellia Plain. 
April 3. Doe - - Killed at the foot of Hack Galla. 

5. Buck - - Killed at the foot of Pedro. 

8. Doe - - Killed at the top of the Pass. 

13. Buck - - Killed at the foot of the Pass. 

16. Buck - - Killed in the river at the Pass. 

19. Doe - - Killed on the patinas on Badulla road 

31. Buck - - Killed in the river at the base of Pedro, 



A Tolerable List. 169 

1852. April 23. Buck - - Killed in Matturatto Plain. 

25. Doe - - Killed in the Elk Plains. 

25. Sow - - Killed in the Elk Plains. 

27. Boar - - Killed at the Limestone Quarry. 
May 3. Sow - - Killed in the Elk Plains. 

6. Two Does Killed in the Barrack Plain. 

10. Two Does One killed in the Barrack Plain, and the 

other at the bottom of the Pass. 
12. Buck - - Killed in Newera Ellia Plain. 
19. Buck - - Killed in the Newera Ellia River. 
22. Doe - - Killed at the Pioneer Lines— Laboukelle. 
31. Two does Killed in the Barrack Plain. 
June 5. Buck - - Killed at the foot of Pedro. 
8. Buck - - Killed in the Barrack Plain. 

11. Two Bucks Killed on Kicklamase Patina. 
24. Two Does Killed on Newera Ellia Plain. 

28. Boar - - Killed on Elk Plains. 

29. Doe - - Killed at the " Rest and be Thankful " 

bottom 
Total — 28 Elk, II Bucks, 17 Does and 4 Hogs. 

This is a tolerable show of game when it is consid- 
ered that the sport continues from year to year : there 
are no seasons at which time the game is spared, but the 
hunting depends simply on the weather. Three times 
a week the pack turns out in the dry season, and upon 
every fine day during the wet months. It must appear 
a frightful extravagance to English ideas to feed the 
hounds upon venison, but as it costs nothing it is a 
cheaper food than beef, and no other flesh is procurable 
in sufficient quantity. Venison is in its prime when 
the elk's horns are in velvet. At this season, when the 
new antlers have almost attained their full growth, they 
are particularly tender, and the buck moves slowly and 
cautiously through the jungle, lest he should injure them 
against the branches, taking no further exercise than is 
15 



I^O The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

necessary in the search of food. He therefore grows 
very fat, and is then in fine condition. 

The speed of an elk, although great, cannot be com- 
pared to that of the spotted deer. I have seen the latter 
almost distance the best grayhounds for the first *wo 
hundred yards, but with this class of dogs the elk has 
no chance upon fair open ground. Coursing the elk, 
therefore, is a short-lived sport, as the grayhounds run 
into him immediately, and a tremendous struggle then 
ensues, which must be terminated as soon as possible 
by the knife, otherwise the dogs would most probably 
be wounded. I once saw Killbuck perform a wonder- 
ful feat in seizing. A buck elk broke cover in the Elk 
Plains, and I slipped a brace of grayhounds after him, 
Killbuck and Bran. The buck had a start of about two 
hundred yards, but the speed of the grayhounds told 
rapidly upon him, and after a course of a quarter of a 
mile they were at his haunches, Killbuck leading. The 
next instant he sprang in full fly, and got his hold by 
the ear. So sudden was the shock that the buck turned 
a complete somersault, but, recovering himself imme- 
diately, he regained his feet and started off at a gallop 
down hill toward a stream, the dog still hanging on. 
In turning over in his fall the ear had twisted round, 
and Killbuck, never having left his hold, was therefore 
on his- back, in which position he was dragged at great 
speed over the ragged ground. Notwithstanding the 
difficulty of his position, he would not give up his hold. 
In the mean time Bran kept seizing the other ear, but 
continually lost his hold as the ear gave way. Kill- 
buck's weight kept the buck's head on a level with his 
knees ; and after a run of some hundred j^ards, during 
the whole of whigh the dog had been dragged upon his 



Veddah Rip fed by a Boar. 171 

back without once losing his hold, the elk's pace was 
reduced to a walk. With both grayhounds now hang- 
ing on his ears, the buck reached the river, and he and 
the dogs rolled down the steep bank into the deep 
water. I came up just at this moment and killed the 
elk, but both dogs were frightfully wounded, and for 
some time I despaired of their recovery. 

This was an extraordinary feat in seizing ; but Kill- 
buck was matchless in this respect, and accordingly of 
great value, as he was sure to retain his hold when he 
once got it. This is an invaluable qualification in a 
dog, especially with boars, as any uncertainty in the 
dog's hold renders the advance of the man doubly dan- 
gerous. I have frequently seen hogs free themselves 
from- a dog's hold at the very moment that I have put 
the knife into them : this with a large boar is likely to 
cause an accident. 

I once saw a Veddah who nearly lost his life by one 
of these animals. He was hunting " guanas" (a species 
of large lizard which is eaten by all the natives), with 
several small dogs, and they suddenly found a large 
boar, who immediately stood to bay. The Veddah ad- 
vanced to the attack with his bow and arrows ; but he 
had no sooner wounded the beast than he was sud- 
denly charged with great fury. In an instant the boar 
was into him, and the next moment the Veddah was 
lying on the ground with his bowels out. Fortunately 
a companion was with him, who replaced his entrails 
and bandaged him up. I saw the man some years 
after ; he was perfectly well, but he had a frightful 
swelling in the front of the belly, traversed by a wide 
blue scar of about eight inches in length. 

A boar is at all times a desperate antagonist, where 



1^2 The Rifle and UoKiid in Ceylon. 

the hunting-knife and dogs are the only available wea- 
pons. The largest that I ever killed Vv^eighed four hun- 
dredweight. I was out hunting accompanied by my 
youngest brother. We had walked through several 
jungles without success, but on entering a thick jungle 
in the Elk Plains, we immediately noticed the fresh 
ploughings of an immense boar. In a few minutes we 
iieard the pack at bay without a run, and, shortly after, 
u slow running bay — there was no mistake as to our 
game. He disdained to run, and, after walking before 
the pack for about three minutes, he stood to a deter- 
mined bay. The jungle was frightfully thick, and we 
hastily tore our way through the tangled underwood 
toward the spot. We had two stanch dogs by our side, 
Lucifer and Lena, and when within twenty paces of 
the bay we gave them a holloa on. Away they dashed 
to the invisible place of conflict, and we almost im- 
mediately heard the fierce grunting and roaring of the 
boar. We knew that they had him, and scrambled 
through the jungle as fast as we could toward the field 
of battle. There was a fight ! the underwood was 
leveled, and the boar rushed to and fro with Smut, 
Bran, Lena and Lucifer, all upon him. Yoick to 
him ! and some of the most daring of the maddened 
pack went in. The next instant we were upon him 
mingled with a confused mass of hounds, and throwing 
our whole weight upon the boar, we gave him repeated 
thrusts, apparently to little purpose. Round came his 
head and gleaming tusks to the attack of his fresh ene- 
mies, but old Smut held him by the nose, and, although 
the bright tusks were immediately buried in his throat, 
the stanch old dog kept his hold. Away went the boar 
covered by a mass of dogs, and bearing the greater part 



A Melee. 



173 



of our weight in addition, as we hung on to the hunt- 
ing-knives buried in his shoulders. For about fifty 
paces he tore through the thick jungle, crashing it like 
a cobweb. At length he again halted ; the dogs, the 
boar and ourselves were mingled in a heap of confu- 
sion. All covered with blood and dirt, our own cheers 
added to the wild bay of the infuriated hounds and the 
savage roaring of the boar. Still he fopght and gashed 
the dogs right and left. He stood about thirty-eight 
inches high, and the largest dogs seemed like puppies 
beside him ; still not a dog relaxed his hold, and he 
was covered with wounds. I made a lucky thrust for 
the nape of his neck. I felt the point of the knife touch 
the bone ; the spine was divided, and he fell dead. 

Smut had two severe gashes in the throat, Lena was 
cut under the ear, and Bran's mouth was opened com- 
pletely up to his ear in a horrible wound. The dogs 
were completely exhausted, and lay panting around 
their victim. We cut off the boar's head, and, slinging 
it upon a pole, we each shouldered an end and carried 
it to the kennel. The power of this animal must have 
been immense. My brother's weight and mine, to- 
gether being upward of twenty-four stone, in addition 
to that of half a dozen heavy dogs, did not appear to 
trouble him, and had we not been close to the spot 
when he came to bay, so that the knives came to the 
instant succor of the dogs, he would have most prob- 
ably killed or wounded half the pack. 

In this wild and rough kind of sport the best dogs 
are constantly most seriously wounded, and after a fight 
of this kind needles and thread and bandages are in fre- 
quent requisition. It is wonderful to see the rapid re- 
covery of dogs from wounds which at first sight appear 



1 74 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

incurable. An instance occurred a short time ago 
when I certainly gave up one of the best dogs for lost 
We had found a buck, who after a sharp run came to 
bay in a deep part of the river known by the name of 
Black Pool. My youngest brother (who is always my 
companion in hunting) and I were at some distance, 
but feeling certain of the locality of the bay, we started 
off at full speed toward the supposed spot. A run of a 
mile, partly through jungle leading into a deep wooded 
ravine, brought us to the river, which flowed through 
the hollow, and upon approaching the water we dis- 
tinctly heard the pack at bay at some distance down 
the stream. Before we could get up, the buck dashed 
down the river, and turning sharp up the bank he took 
up the hill through a dense jungle. Every hound was 
at fault, except two, who were close at his heels, and 
being very fast they never lost sight of him^ These two 
dogs were Merriman and Tiptoe ; and having followed 
the whole pack to their track, we soon heard them in 
full cry on the top of the high hills which overlook the 
river ; they were coming down the hill-side at full 
speed toward the Black Pool. Hiding behind the 
trees lest we should head the buck, who we now heard 
crashing toward us through the jungle, we suddenly 
caught a glimpse of his dun hide as he bounded past us 
and splashed into the river. A few seconds after, and 
Tiptoe, the leading hound, came rushing on his track, 
but to our horror he was dragging .his entrails after 
him. The excitement of the chase recognized no pain, 
and the plucky animal actually plunged into the river, 
and in spite of his mangled state he swam across and 
disappeared in the jungle on the opposite side upon the 
track which the elk had taken. The pack now closeci 



Old Smut's Ruse, 1 75 

up, and swimming the river they opened upon a hot 
scent on the opposite bank, and running parallel to 
the stream they drove the buck out of the jungle, and 
he came to bay in a rocky part of the river, where 
the velocity of the torrent swept every dog past him 
and rendered his position secure. The whole pack was 
there with the exception of Tiptoe ; we looked for him 
among the baying hounds in vain. For about twenty 
minutes the buck kept his impregnable position, when 
in a foolish moment he forsook it, and dashing along 
the torrent he took to deep water. The whole pack 
was after him ; once Merriman got a hold, but was im- 
mediately beaten off. Valiant, who was behaving 
nobly and made repeated attempts to seize, was struck 
beneath the water as often as he advanced. The old 
veteran Smut was well to the point, and his deep voice 
was heard loud above the din of the bay ; but he could 
do nothing. The buck had a firm footing, and was 
standing shoulder-deep ; rearing to his full height, and, 
springing at the dogs as they swam toward him, he 
struck them beneath the water with his fore feet. The 
bay lasted for half an hour ; at the expiration of this 
time a sudden thought appeared to strike old Smut : 
instead of continuing the attack, he swam direct for the 
shore, leaving the buck still occupied with the baying 
pack. The elk was standing about fourteen feet from 
the bank, which was covered with jungle. Presently 
wejisaw the cunning old hero Smut creeping like a 
leopard along the edgQ of the bank till opposite the 
elk ; he slowly retreated for a few paces, and the next 
moment he was seen flying through the air, having 
made a tremendous spring at the elk's ear. A cloud 
of spray for an instant concealed the effect. Both dog 



i'j6 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

and buck were for a few moments beneath the water ; 
when they reappeared, the old dog was hanging on 
nis ear. Merriman at once had him by the other ear; 
and one after another the seizers had him. In vain he 
tried to drown them off by diving ; as his head again 
rose above the surface the dogs were at their places : 
his struggles were useless, and the knife finished him. 

We now searched the jungle for Tiptoe's body, ex- 
pecting to find him dead where we had last seen him 
enter the jungle. Upon reaching the spot we found him 
lying down with his bowels in a heap by his side ; the 
quantity \^'Ould have filled a hat. The hole in his side 
was made by a blow from the buck's hoof, and not 
being more than two inches in length strangulation had 
taken place, and I could not return the bowels. The 
dog was still alive, though very faint. Fortunately we 
had a small-bladed knife, with which I carefully en- 
larged the aperture, and, having cleaned the bowels 
from the dirt and dead leaves which had adhered to, 
them, I succeeded in returning them, although I ex- 
pected the dog's death every instant. Taking off my 
neck-tie, I made a pad, with which I secured the aper- 
ture, and bound him tightly round with a handkerchief. 
Making a sling with a couple of jackets upon a pole, 
we placed the dog carefully within it and carried him 
home. By dressing the wound every day with mar- 
gosse oil, and keeping the pad and bandage in the 
place, to my astonishment the dog recovered, and he is 
now as well as ever he was, with the exception of the 
loss of one eye, which was knocked out by the horn of 
an elk on another occasion. 

The margosse oil that I have mentioned is a most 
Valuable balsam for wounds, having a peculiar smell, 



Margosse Oil. 177 

which prevents the attacks of flies, who would other- 
wise blow the wound and occasion a nest of maggots in 
a few hours. This oil is ver}^ healing, and soon creates 
a healthy appearance in a bad cut. It is manufactured 
from the fruit of a plant in Ceylon, but I have never 
met with it in the possession of an English medical 
man. The smell of this oil is very offensive, even 
worse than assafcetida, which it in some degrees resem- 
bles. There are many medicinal plants in Cevlon of 
great value, which, although made use of by the na- 
tives, are either neglected or unknown to the profession 
in our own country. One of the wild fruits of the jun- 
gle, the wood-apple or wild quince, is very generally 
used by the natives in attack of diarrhoea and dysentery 
in the early stages of the disease ; this has been used 
for some years by English medical men in this island, 
bt, vith no very satisfactory eflect. 

M 




CHAPTER IX. 

A Morning's Deer-coursing — Kondawataweny — Rogue at 

KONDAWATAWENY — A ClOSE SHAVE — PREPARATIONS FOR 

Catching an Elephant — Catching an Elephant— Taming 
HIM — Flying Shot at a Buck — Cave at Dimbooldene — 
Awkward Ground — A Charmed Life. 

IT was in July, 1848, that I pitched my tent in the 
portion of Ceylon known as the "Park," for the 
purpose of deer-coursing. I had only three grayhounds, 
Killbuck, Bran and Lena, and these had been carried 
in a palanquin from Newera Ellia, a distance of one hun- 
dred miles. The grass had all been burnt about two 
months previously, and the whole country was perfectly 
fresh and green, the young shoots not being more than 
half a foot high. The deer were numerous but wild, 
which made the sport the more enjoyable. I cannot 
describe the country better than by comparing it to a 
rich English park, well watered by numerous sitreams 
and large rivers, but ornamented by many beautiful 
rocky mountains, which are not to be met with in Eng- 
land. If this part of the country had the advantage of 
the Newera Ellia climate, it would be a Paradise, but 
the intense heat destroys much of the pleasure in both 
shooting and coursing, especially in the latter sport, as 
the grayhounds must be home by 8 A, m., or they would 
soon die from the effects of the sun. 
178 



A Morning^ s Deej'-coursing'. 179 

It was in the cool hour of sunrise, when the dew lay 
thickly upon the grass, and the foliage glistened with 
the first beams of morning, that we stalked over the ex- 
tensive plains with Killbuck and Lena in the slips in 
search of deer. Several herds winded us at a distance 
of half a mile, and immediately bounded away, render- 
ing pursuit impossible ; and we determined not to slip 
the dogs unless they had a fair start, as one run in this 
climate was quite work enough for a morning. After 
several disappointments in stalking, we at length dis- 
covered a noble buck standing alone by the edge of a 
narrow belt of jungle ; the instant that he observed us, 
he stepped proudly into the cover. This being open 
forest, my brother took the grayhounds in at the spot 
where the deer had entered, while I ran round to the 
opposite side of the cover, and took my position upon 
an extensive lawn of fine grass about half a mile in 
width. 

I had not remained a minute at my post before I 
heard a crash in the jungle, as though an elephant were 
charging through, and in another instant a splendid 
buck burst upon the plain at full speed, and away he 
flew over the level lawn, with the brace of grayhounds 
laying out about fifty paces behind him. Here was a 
fair trial of speed over a perfect bowling-green, and 
away they flew, the buck exerting his utmost stride, 
and the grayhounds stretching out till their briskets 
touched the ground ; Killbuck leading with tremendous 
bounds, and Lena about a length behind him. 

By degrees the beautiful spring of the grayhounds 
appeared to tell, and the distance between them and 
the buck gradually decreased, although both deer and 
dogs flew along with undiminished speed. The plain 



i8o The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

was nearly crossed, and the opposite jungle lay within 
two hundred yards of them. To gain this the buck re- 
doubled his exertions : the grayhounds knew as well as 
he did that it was his chance of escape, and with equal 
efforts they pressed upon him. Not fifty paces now 
separated the buck from the jungle, and with prodi- 
gious bounds he sped along ; he neared it, he won it ; 
the yielding branches crashed before him, but the dogs 
were at his haunches as the jungle closed over them 
and concealed the chase. 

I was soon up ; and upon entering the jungle I could 
neither hear nor see anything of them, but, by follow- 
ing up the track, I found them about fifty yards from 
the entrance to the jungle. The buck was standing on 
the sandy bed of a dry stream, endeavoring in vain to 
free himself, while the grayhounds pinned his nose to 
the ground, each hanging upon his ears. The knife 
finished him immediately. There never was a more 
exciting course ; it had been nobly run by both the 
dogs and well contested by the buck, who was a 
splendid fellow and in fine condition. 

On my w^ay to the tent, I wounded a doe at full 
speed, which Lena followed singly and pulled down, 
thus securing our coolies a good supply of venison. 
The flesh of the spotted deer is more like mutton than 
English venison, and is excellent eating ; it would be 
still better if the climate would allow of its being kept 
for a few days. 

There is no sport in Ceylon, in my opinion, that is 
equal to deer-coursing, but the great difficulty attend- 
ing it is the lack of good grayhounds. The spotted 
buck (or axis) is an animal of immense power and 
courage ; and although most grayhounds would course 



Kondawataweny, i8i 

him, very few would have sufficient courage and 
strength to hold him, unless slipped two brace at a 
time, which would immediately spoil the sport. A 
brace of grayhounds to one buck is fair play, and a 
good strong horse will generally keep them in view. 
In two weeks' coursing in the Park we killed seventeen 
deer with three grayhounds ; at the expiration of which 
time the dogs were so footsore and wounded by the 
hard, burnt stubble of the old grass that they were 
obliged to be sent home. 

When the grayhounds had left, I turned my attention 
.o elephants. There Avere very few at this season in 
the Park, and I therefore left this part of the country, 
which was dried up, and proceeded to Kondawataweny, 
in the direction of Batticaloa. Kondawataweny is a 
small village, inhabited by Moormen, situated on the 
edge of a large lake or tank. Upon arrival, I found 
that the neighborhood was alive with game of all kinds, 
and the Moormen were excellent hands at elephants. 
There was accordingly no difficulty in procuring good 
gun-bearers and trackers, and at 4 p.m. of the day of 
our arrival we started to make a circuit of the tank in 
quest of elephants. At about 5 p.m. we observed 
several tank rogues scattered in various directions 
around the tank ; one of these fellows, whose close ac- 
quaintance I made with the telescope, I prophesied 
would show some fight before we owned his tail. This 
elephant was standing some distance in the water, feed- 
ing and bathing. There were two elephants close to 
the water's edge between him and us, and we deter- 
mined to have a shot at them en passant^ and then try 
*-o bag the big fellow. 

Althoug} we stalk 3d very cautiously along the edge 



1 83 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

of the jungle which surrounded the lake, divided from 
it by a strip of plain of about two hundred yards in 
width, the elephants winded us and retreated over the 
patina* at full speed toward the jungle. Endeavoring 
to cut them off before they could reach the thick cover, 
we ran at our best pace along the edge of the jungle, so 
as to meet them at right angles. One reached the 
jungle before us, but a lucky shot at a distance of sixty 
paces floored the other, who lay struggling on the 
ground, and was soon extinguished. Having reloaded, 
we went in quest of the large rogue, who was bathing 
in the tank. This gentleman had decamped, having 
taken offence at the firing. 

Close to the edge of the tank grew a patch of thick 
thorny jungle of about two acres, completely isolated 
and separated from the main jungle by about eighty 
paces' length of fine turf. The Moormen knew the habits 
of this rogue, who was well known in the neighbor- 
hood, and they at once said that he had concealed him- 
self in the small patch of jungle. Upon examining the 
tracks from the tank, we found they were correct. 

The question was, how to dislodge him ; the jungle 
was so dense that it was impossible to enter, and driv- 
ing was the only chance. 

There was a small bush within a few paces of the 
main jungle, exactly opposite that in which the elephant 
was concealed, and we determined to hide behind this 
while a few Moormen should endeavor to drive him 
from his retreat, in which case he would be certain to 
make for the main forest, and would most probably 
pass near the bush behind which we lay in wait for him * 
Giving the Moornien a gun, we took to our hiding- 

* Grassy plains. 



^'' jRogue^^ at Kondawataweny. 183 

place. The men went round to the tank side of the 
patch of jungle, and immediately commenced shouting 
and firing, securing themselves from an attack by climb- 
ing into the highest trees. A short interval elapsed, 
and not a sound of the elephant could be heard. The 
firing and shouting ceased, and all was as still as death. 
Some of the Moormen returned from the jungle, and 
declared that the elephant was not there, but this was 
all nonsense ; the fact was, they did not like the idea of 
driving him out. Knowing the character of these 
" rogues," I felt convinced that he was one of the worst 
description, and that he was quietly waiting his time 
until some one should advance within his reach. Hav- 
ing given the Moormen a supply of powder, I again 
despatched them to drive the jungle. Once more the 
firing and shouting commenced, and continued until their 
supply of powder was exhausted : no effects had been 
produced ; it was getting late, and the rogue appeared 
determined not to move. A dead silence ensued, 
which was presently disturbed by the snapping of a 
bough ; in another moment the jungle crashed, and 
forth stepped the object of our pursuit. He was a mag- 
nificent elephant, one of the most vicious in appearance 
that I have ever seen ; he understood the whole affair 
as well as we did ; and flourishing his trunk, he paced 
quickly backward and forward for a few turns before 
the jungle he had just quitted, and, suddenly making 
his resolution, he charged straight at the bush behind 
which we had imagined ourselves concealed. He was 
about eighty yards off* when he commenced his onset ; 
and seeing that we were discovered, I left the hiding- 
place and stepped to the front of the bush to meet him 
with the four-ounce rifle. On he came at a great pace, 



184 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

carrying his head very high, and making me the sole 
object of his attack. I made certain of the shot, al- 
though his head was in a difficult position, and I accord- 
ingly waited for. him till he was within fifteen paces. 
At this distance I took a steady shot and fired. A cloud 
of smoke, from the heavy charge of powder, obscured 
everything, but I felt so certain that he was down that 
I looked under the smoke to see where he lay. Ye 
gods ! He was just over me in full charge ! I had not 
even checked him by the shot, and he was within three 
feet of me, going at a tremendous pace. Throwing my 
heavy rifle into the bush, Idoubled quickly to one side, 
hoping that he would pass me and take to the main 
jungle, to which I ran parallel as fast as my legs could 
carry me. Instead of taking to the jungle, he turned 
short and quickly after me, and a fair race commenced. 
I had about three* feet start of him, and I saw with de- 
light that the ground was as level and smooth as a lawn ; 
there was no fear of tripping up, and away I went at 
the fastest pace that I ever ran either before or since, 
taking a look behind me to see how the chase went on. 
I saw the bullet-mark in his forehead, which was cov- 
ered with blood ; his trunk was stretched to its full 
length to catch me, and was now within two feet of my 
back : he was gaining on me, although I was running 
at a tremendous pace. I could not screw an inch more 
speed out of my legs, and I kept on, with the brute 
gaining upon me at every stride. He was within a foot 
of me, and I had not heard a shot fired and not a soul 
had come to the rescue. The sudden thought struck 
me that my brother could not possibly overtake the 
elephant at the pace at which we were going, and I 
suddenly doubled short to my left into the open plain, 



Catching an Elephant. 185 

and back toward the guns. The rogue overshot me. 1 
met my brother close to his tail, which position he had 
with difficulty maintained ; but he could not get a shot, 
and the elephant turned into the jungle and disappeared 
just as I escaped him by a sharp turn. This was a close 
shave ; had not the ground been perfectly level, I must 
have been caught to a certainty, and even as it was he 
would have had me in another stride had I not turned 
from my straight course. It was nearly dark, and we 
returned to the tent, killing several peacocks and ducks 
on our way, with which the country swarmed. 

We passed a miserable night, not being able to sleep 
on account of the mosquitoes, which were in swarms. 
I was delighted to see the first beam of morning, when 
our little winged enemies left us, and a " chatty bath" 
was most enjoyable after the restless tossings of a sleep- 
less night. The Moormen were out at dawn to look 
for elephants, the guns were cleaned, and I looked for- 
ward to the return of the trackers with peculiar interest, 
as we had determined to " catch an elephant^ The 
Moormen were full of excitement and preparation. 
These men were well practiced in this sport, and they 
were soon busied in examining and coiling their hide 
ropes for the purpose. 

At about mid-day the trackers returned, having found 
a herd about five miles from the village. We were all 
ready, and we set oft' without a moment's delay, our 
party consisting of my brother, myself, four gun-bearers, 
and about thirty Moormen, each of whom carried a coil 
of finely-twisted rope made of thongs of raw deer's hide : 
these ropes were each twenty yards in length and about 
an inch in diameter. 

Having skirted the borders of the tank for about three 



1 86 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

miles, we turned into the forest, and continued our 
route through alternate open and thick forests, until we 
at length reached a rough, open country interspersed 
with low jungles. Here we met the watchers, who 
reported the herd to be a few hundred paces from us, 
in some patches of thick jungle. Taking the wind, we 
carefully approached their position. The ground was 
very rough, being a complete city of ant-hills about 
two feet high ; these were overgrown with grass, giving 
the open country an appearance of a vast churchyard 
of turf graves. Among these tumps grew numerous 
small clusters of bushes, above w^hich we shortly dis- 
covered the flapping ears of the elephants ; they were 
slowly feeding toward the more open ground. It was 
a lovely afternoon, the sky was covered with a thin 
gray cloud, and the sun had little or no power. Hiding 
behind a bush, we watched the herd for some time, 
until they had all quitted the bushes and were well out 
in the open. There were two elephants facing us, and 
the herd, which consisted of seven, were tolerably close 
together, with the exception of one, who was about 
thirty yards apart from the main body ; this fellow we 
determined to catch. We therefore arranged that our 
gun-bearers and four rope-carriers should accompany 
us, while the remaining portion of our party should lie 
in reserve to come to our assistance when required, as 
so large a body of men could not possibly stalk the herd 
without being discovered. Falling upon our hands and 
knees, we crept between the grassy ant-hills toward the 
two leading elephants, who were facing us. The wind 
was pretty brisk, and the ant-hills effectually concealed 
us till we were within seven paces of our game. The 
two leaders then both dropped dead t© the front shot. 



Catching an Elephant. l3/ 

and the fun began. The guns were so well handed up 
that we knocked over the six elephants before they had 
given us a run of twenty yards, and we all closed up 
and ran under the tail of the retreating elephant that we 
had devoted to the ropes. He was going at about seven 
miles an hour ; we therefore had no difficulty in keep- 
ing up with him, as we could run between the ant-hills 
much faster than he could. The ropes were in readi- 
ness, and with great dexterity one of the Moormen 
slipped a noose over one of his hind feet as he raiBed it 
from the ground, and drawing it tight, he dropped his 
coil. We all halted and allowed the unconscious ele- 
phant to run out his length of line ; this he soon did, 
and the rope trailed after him like a long snake, we all 
following at about the centre of the length of rope or 
twenty paces behind him. He was making for the jun- 
gle, which was not far distant, and we were running 
him like a pack of hounds, but keeping a gun in readi- 
ness, lest he should turn and charge. He at length 
reached the wooded Uank of a dry river, and thick rattan 
jungle bordered the opposite side ; he thought he was 
safe, and he plunged down the crumbling bank. We 
were a little too quick for him by taking a double tivtii 
round a tree with the slack end of the rope just aS' he 
descended the bank ; the effect of this was to bring him 
to a sudden stand-still, and the stretching of the hide 
rope threw him upon his knees. He recovered hirii- 
self immediately, and used extraordinary efforts to break 
the rope : tightening the rope to its utmost length, he 
suddenly lifted up his tied leg and threw his whole 
weight forward. Any but a hide rope of that diameter 
must have given way, but this stretched like a harp- 
string, and, at every effort to break it the yielding 6las- 



l88 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

ticity of the hide threw him upon his head, and the 
sudden contraction after the fall jerked his leg back to 
its full length, 

After many vain but tremendous efforts to free him- 
self, he turned his rage upon his pursuers and charged 
every one right and left ; but he was safely tied, and 
we took some little pleasure in teasing him. He had 
no ,more chance than a fly in a spider's w^eb. As he 
charged in one direction several nooses were thrown 
round his hind legs ; then his trunk was caught in a 
slipknot, then his fore legs, then his neck, and the 
ends of all these ropes being brought together and 
hauled tight, he was effectually hobbled. 

This had taken some time to effect (about half an 
hour), and we now commenced a species of harness to 
enable us to drive him to the village. 

The first thing was to secure his trunk by tying it to 
one of his fore legs ; this leg was then fastened with a 
slack rope to one of his hind legs, which prevented him 
from taking a longer stride than about two feet; his 
neck was then tied to his other fore leg, and two ropes 
were made fast to both his fore and hind legs ; the ends 
of these ropes being manned by thirty men. ^ 

Having completed these arrangements, he was re- 
leased from the ties which hobbled him, and we com- 
menced the arduous task of driving him toward the 
village, a distance of five miles. The only method ot 
getting him along was to keep two men to tease him in 
front, by shouting and waving cloths before his face \ 
he immediately charged these fellows, who, of course, 
ran in the right direction for the village ; and by this 
repeated manoeuvre we reached the borders of the tank 
by nightfall. We were still at least two miles from the 



Return to the Park Country, 189 

village, and we were therefore obliged to tie him to a 
tree for the night. The next morning we succeeded in 
driving him to the village. He was a fine elephant, 
but not full grown, and for this reason he had been se- 
lected from the herd for capture, as they are more valu- 
able at this particular period of their growth, being 
more easily rendered docile than when older. He was 
about sixteen 'years of age ; and by starving for two 
days and subsequent gentle treatment, the natives 
mounted and rode him on the third day of his capture, 
taking the precaution, however, of first securing his 
trunk. This elephant was then worth fifteen pounds 
to be sold to the Arabs for the Indian market. 

After a stay of a few days in this neighborhood, 
during which we had good sport in elephant-shooting, 
we returned to the Park country. The first evening of 
our return we heard elephants roaring in the jungle 
within a short distance of the tent. At daybreak the 
next morning we were on their tracks, and after a walk 
of five miles we found them in thick thorny jungle, and 
only killed three. We had a long day's work, and we 
were returning home in the afternoon when we sud- 
denly observed a herd of deer grazing in the beautiful 
park. The headman of this part of the country is a 
first-rate sportsman, and has always accompanied me 
in shooting through this district. This man, whose 
name is Banda, is the only Cingalese that I have ever 
seen who looks like a man of good birth in his nation. 
Strikingly handsome and beautifully proportioned, with 
the agility of a deer, he is in all respects the beau ideal 
of a native hunter. His skill in tracking is superb, and 
his thorough knowledge of the habits of all Ceylon ani- 
mals, especially of elephants, renders him a valuable 



I go The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

ally to a sportsman. He and I commenced a careful 
stalk, and after a long circuit I succeeded in getting 
within seventy paces of the herd of deer. The ground 
was undulating, and they were standing on the top of a 
loyv ridge of hills. I dropped a buck with my two- 
ounce ;rifle, and the herd immediately disappeared be- 
hind the top of the hill. Taking one of my double- 
barreled rifles, which Banda gave me, I ran to the top 
of the hill as fast as I could, just in time to see the herd 
gpin^ at a flying speed along a small valley at a long 
distance. Another buck was separated from the herd 
by about forty paces, and putting up- the second sight 
of my rifle, I took a shot at him; to my delight he 
plunged heavily upon the turf. 1 fired my remaining 
barrel at the herd, but I must have missed, as none fell. 
I immediately stepped the distance, to the dead buck, 
one hundred and eighty-seven paces. I had fired a little 
too high, and had missed his body, but the ball had 
struck him in the neck and broke his spine. A suc- 
cessful flying shot at this distance has a very pretty 
eff^ecti and Banda was delighted. 

There were very few elephants at this season at the 
Park, and the numberless " ticks" which swarmed in 
the grass spoiled all the pleasure of shooting. These 
little wretches, which are not larger than a small grain 
of gunpowder, find their way to every part of the body, 
and the irritation of their bites is indescribable. 
Scratching is only adding fuel to fire ; there is no 
certain prevention or relief from their attacks ; the best 
thing that I know is cocoa-nut oil rubbed daily over the 
whoie oody, but the remedy is almost as unpleasant as 
tlie bite. Ceylon is, at all times, a frightful place for 
vermin : in the dry weather we have ticks ; in the wet 



Cave at Dimbooldend. 19) 

weather mosquitoes, and, what are still more disgust- 
ing, '' leeches," which swarm in the grass and upon the 
leaves of the jungle. These creatures insinuate them- 
selves through all the openings in a person's dress — up 
the trowsers, under the waistcoat, down the neck, up 
the wrists and in fact everywhere, drawing blood With 
insatiable voracity, and leaving an unpleasant irritation 
for some days after. 

All these annoyances foi^hi great drawbacks to the 
enjoyment of the low-country sports ; although they 
are afterward forgotten, and the bright moments of 
the sport are all that are looked back to, they are great 
discomforts at the time. When the day is over, and 
the man, fatigued by intense heat and a hard day's 
work, feels himself refreshed by a bath and a change 
of clothes, the incurable itching of a thousand tick-bites 
destroys all his pleasure : he finds himself strearning 
with blood from leech-bites, and for the time he feels 
disgusted with the country. First-rate sport can alone 
compensate for all these annoyances. 

There is a portion of the Park country known as 
Dimboolden6. In this part there is a cave formed by 
a large overhanging rock, which is a much cooler resi- 
dence than the tent. Here we accordingly bivouacked, 
the cave being sufficiently large to contain the horses 
in addition to ourselves and servants. After a delight- 
fully cool night free from mosquitoes we made a day of 
it, but we walked from sunrise till five p.m. without 
seeing a sign of an elephant. At length, from the top 
of a high hill on the very confines of the Park country, 
we looked across a deep valley, and' with the assistance 
of the telescope we plainly distinguished a large single 
elephant feeding on the grassy side of an opposite nloun- 



192 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

tain. To cross the deep valley that separated us and to 
ascend the mountain would have taken several hours, 
and at this time of the day it was, therefore, imprac- 
ticable ; we were thus compelled to turn our backs 
upon the game and return toward our rocky home, 
Tired more from our want of success than from the 
day's work, we strolled leisurely along, and we were 
talking of the best plan to be adopted for the next day's 
work, when I suddenly observed a herd of eight ele- 
phants going up the side of a small hill at their best 
pace within two hundred yards of us. They had just 
quitted a small jungle at the bottom of a ravine, and 
they had been alarmed by our approach. 

Off we started in pursuit, down the rugged side of 
the hill we were descending, and up the opposite hill, 
upon the elephants' tracks, as hard as we could run. 
Just as we reached the top of the hill the elephants 
were entering a small jungle on the other side. My 
brother got a shot and killed the last of the herd ; in 
another moment they had disappeared. It had been a 
sharp burst up the steep hill, and we stopped to breathe, 
but we were almost Immediately in pursuit again, as we 
saw the herd emerge from the jungle at the base of the 
hill and plough their way through a vast field of high 
lemon grass. 

Upon arriving on their tracks they had fairly dis- 
tanced us. The grass, which was as thick as a hedge, 
was trodden into lanes by the elephants, and upon 
either side it stood like a wall ten or twelve feet high. 
Upon these tracks we ran along for some time until it 
became dusk. We halted, and were consulting as ^ 
the prudence of continuing the chase at this late hour, 
when we suddenly heard the cracking of the branches 



Awkward Ground. 19^^ 

m a small jungle in a hollow close to oiu- left, ami 
upon taking a position upon some rising ground we. 
distinctly saw several elephants standing in the high 
grass about a hundred paces before us, close to the edge 
of the jungle in which the remaining portion of the 
herd was concealed. Two of the elephants were 
looking at us, and as there was no time to lose, we 
walked straight up to them. They stood quietly 
watching us till we were within twenty yards, when 
they came a few paces forward, one immediately fall- 
ing dead to my shot, while the other was turned by a 
shot from my brother ; the rest retreated to the jungle 
over the most difficult ground for both man and beast. 
Inimense rocks lay scattered in heaps over the surface 
of the ground, forming chasms by the intervening crev- 
ices of live and six feet in depth ; from these crevices 
the long lemon grass grew in dense tufts, completely 
hiding the numerous pitfalls, and making the retreat 
of the elephants and our pursuit equally difficult. I 
was close to the tail of a large elephant, who was pick- 
ing his way carefully over the treacherous surface, and 
I was waiting for an opportunity for a shot should he 
turn, his head, when I suddenly pitched headfirst into 
one of these rocky holes. Here I scrambled for some 
seconds before I could extricate myself, as I was carry- 
ing my heavy four-ounce rifle ; and at length, upon re- 
covering my footing, I found that all the elephants had 
gained the jungle, except the one that I had been fol- 
lowing. He was about twenty yards from me, and was 
just entering the jungle, but I got a splendid shot at 
him behind the ear and rolled him over. 

It was very nearly dark, and we could not of course 
follow the herd any farther ; we therefore reloaded and 
17 N 



194 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

turned toward the direction of the cave, which was 
plainly shown by a distant blaze of light from the night- 
fires, which were already lit. We were walking 
slowly along parallel to the jungle, into which the ele- 
phants had retreated, when my maft, Wallace, who is a 
capital gunrbearer, halloed out, " Here comes an ele- 
phant !" and in the dim twilight I could see an elephant 
bowling at a great pace toward us, but close to the jun- 
gle. He was forty yards from me, but my brother fired 
at him and without effect. I took a quick shot with a 
double-barreled rifle, and he dropped immediately. 
Hearing him roar as he lay in the high lemon grass by 
the edge of the jungle, I ran down the gentle slope to 
the. spot, followed by my trusty gun-bearer Wallace, as 
I knew the elephant was only stunned and would soon 
recover. Upon arriving within a few feet of the spot, 
pushing my way with difficulty through the tangled 
lemon grass I could not see where he lay, as daylight 
had now vanished. I was vainly looking about when I 
suddenly heard a rush in the grass close to me, and I 
saw the head and cocked ears of the elephant within six 
feet as he came at me. I had just time to fire my re- 
maining barrel, and down he dropped to the shot. I 
jumped back a few paces to assure myself of the result, 
as the smoke hanging in the high grass, added to the 
darkness, completely blinded me. Wallace pushed the 
spare rifle into my hand, and to my astonishment I saw 
the head and cocked ears again coming at me. It was 
so dark that I could not take an aim, but I floored him 
once more by a front shot, and again I jumped back 
through the tangled grass just in time to avoid him, as 
he, for the third time, recovered himself and charged. 
He was not five paces from me, and I took a steady 



Three Weeks' Work. 195 

shot at him with my last barrel, and I immediately 
bolted as hard as I could run. This shot once more 
floored him, but he must have borne a charmed life, as 
he again recovered his legs, and to my great satisfaction 
he turned into the jungle and retreated. This all hap- 
pened in a few seconds ; had it been daylight, I could 
of course have killed him, but, as it happened, I could 
not even distinguish the sights at the end of my rifle 
In a few minutes afterward it was pitch dark, and we 
could only steer for the cave by the light of the fire 
which was nearly two miles distant. 

The next day we found a herd of eight elephants in 
very favorable ground, and succeeded in killing seven ; 
but this was the last herd in the Park, and after a few 
days spent in beating up the country without success, I 
returned to Newera Ellia, the bag being twenty-two ele- 
phants during a trip of three weeks, in addition to deer, 
hogs, buftalo and small game, which had afforded excel- 
lent sport. 




CHAPTER X. 

Another Trip to the Park— A Hard Day's Work — Discover 
A Herd— Death of the Herd— A Furious Charge— 
• Caught at Last— The Consequences— A Thorough Rogue 
— Another Herd in High Lemon grass— Bears — A Fight 
Between a Moorman and a Bear— A Musical Herd — 
Herd Escape— A Plucky Buck — Death of Killbuck — Good 
Sport with a Herd— End of the Trip. 

ABOUT twelve months elapsed without my pulling 
a trigger. I had contented myself with elk-hunt- 
ing in Newera Ellia and the vicinity, but in November, 
1850, the grayhounds were again in their palanquin, 
and, accompanied by my brother V., I was once more 
in the saddle on my steady-going old horse Jack, en 
route for the Park. 

It was 5 p. M., on a cool and lovely evening, that we 
halted and unsaddled in this beautiful country. Our 
tents and coolies were far behind, our horse-keepers 
were our only attendants, and we fixed upon a spot as 
the most eligible site for the tents. A large open park 
lay before us interspersed with trees and clumps of 
forest. A clear stream flowed from some low rocky 
hills upon our right, and several detached masses of 
rock lay scattered irregularly here and there, like the 
ruins of an old castle. Large trees grew from the 
crevices of these rocks, and beneath their shade we 
196 



Another Trip to the Park. 197 

turned our horses loose to graze upon a soft sweet grass 
with which this part of the park is covered. We had 
the grayhounds with us and a single rifle, but no other 
guns, as the servants were far behind. Having given 
directions to the horse-keepers to point out the spot for 
the tents on the arrival of the people, we took a stroll 
with the grayhounds to get a deer, as we depended upon 
this chance for our dinner. 

Just as we were starting, we noticed two large ele- 
phants feeding on the rocky hills within a quarter of a 
mile of us ; but having no guns up with the exception 
of one rifle, we were obliged to postpone the attack, 
and, cautioning the horse-keepers to observe silence lest 
the-game should be alarmed, we left the elephants to 
their meal, while we struck off' in another direction WMth 
the grayhounds. We found a herd of deer within half 
a mile of our starting-place; they had just come out 
from the forest for the night's feeding ; and when I first 
saw them, they were barking to each other in a small 
glade within sixty paces of the jungle. Dinner de- 
pending upon success, I stalked them with the greatest 
caution. Taking Killbuck and Lena in the slips, I 
crept from tree to tree without the slightest noise ; I had 
the wind, and if any dogs could kill a deer in the diffi- 
cult position in which the herd stood, these two dogs I 
knew would do it. I got within sixty yards of the herd 
before they observed me, and as they dashed off* toward 
the jungle, I slipped the straining grayhounds. A loud 
cheer to the dogs confused the herd, and they scattered 
to the right and left as they gained the forest, the dogs 
being close up with them, and Killbuck almost at a 
buck's throat as he reached the jungle. Following as 
well as I could through the the dusky jungle, I shortly 
1T» 



198 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

heard the cry of a deer, and on arriving at the spot I 
found Killbuck and Lena with a buck on the ground. 
No deer had a chance with this wonderful dog Killbuck. 
When he was once slipped there was no hope for the 
game pursued ; no matter what the character of the 
country might be, it was certain death to the deer. We 
gralloched the buck, and having fed the dogs with the 
offal, we carried him on a pole to the place where we 
had left the horses. On arrival we deposited our heavy 
burden ; and to our satisfaction we found all our 
people had arrived. The tents were pitched, and the 
night-fires were already blazing, as daylight had nearly 
ceased. 

In the course of an hour we were comfortably seated 
at our table with venison steaks and chops smoking 
before us — thanks to the dogs, who were now soundly 
sleeping at our feet. During the progress of dinner I 
planned the work for the day following. We were now 
eight miles from Nielgalla (Blue Rock), the village at 
which Banda resided, and I ordered a man to start off 
at daybreak to tell him that I was in his country, and 
to bring old Medima and several other good men (that 
I knew) to the tent without delay. I proposed that we 
should, in the mean time, start at daylight on the tracks 
of the two elephants that we had seen upon the hills, 
taking Wallace and a few of the best coolies as gun- 
bearers. Wallace is a Cochin man, who prides him- 
self upon a mixture of Portuguese blood. He speaks 
six different languages fluently, and is without excep- 
tion the best interpreter and the most plucky gun- 
bearer that I have ever seen. He has accompanied me 
through so many scenes with unvarying firmness that 
I never have the slightest anxiety about my spare guns 



A Hard Day's Work, 199 

if he is there, as he keeps the Httle troop of gun-bearers 
in their places in a most methodical manner. 

At break of clay on the following morning we were 
upon the tracks of the two elephants, but a slight shower 
during the night had so destroyed them that we found it 
was impossible to follow them up. We therefore deter- 
mined to examine the country thoroughly for fresh 
tracks, and we accordingly passed over many miles of 
ground, but to litde purpose, as none were to be seen. 

We at length discovered fresh tracks of a herd in 
thick thorny jungle, which was too dense to enter, but 
marking their position, we determined to send out 
w^atchers on the following day to track them into better 
country. Having killed a deer, we started him off with 
some coolies that we had taken with us on this chance, 
and we continued our route till 3 p. m. We had lost 
our way, and, not having any guide, we had no notion 
of the position of the tents : the heat of the day had been 
intense, and not having breakfasted, we were rather 
anxious about the direction. Strolling through this 
beautiful expanse of park country, we directed our 
course for a large rocky mountain, at a few miles dis- 
tance, at the base of which I knew lay the route from 
the tent to Nielgalla. To our great satisfaction we 
found the path at about 4 p. m., and we walked briskly 
alonsr at the foot of the mountain in the direction of our 
encampment, which was about four miles distant. 

We had just arrived at an angle of the mountam, 
which, in passing, we were now leaving to our left, 
when we suddenly halted, our attention having been 
arrested by the loud roaring of elephants in a jungle at 
the foot of the mountain, within a quarter of a mile of 
us. The roaring continued at intervals, reverberating 



300 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

among the rocks like distant thunder, till it at length 
died away to stillness. 

We soon arrived in the vicinity of the sound, and 
shortly discovered tracks upon a hard sandy soil, cov- 
ered with rocks and overgrown with a low but tolerably 
open jungle at the base of the mountain. Following 
the tracks, we began to ascend steep flights of natural 
steps formed by the successive layers of rock which 
girded the foot of the mountain : these were covered 
with jungle, interspersed with large detached masses of 
rock, which in some places formed alleys through which 
the herd had passed. The surface of the ground being 
nothing but hard rock, tracking was very difficult, and 
it took me a considerable time to follow them up by the 
pieces of twigs and crunched, leaves which the elephants 
had dropped while feeding. I at length tracked them 
to a small pool formed by the rain-water in the hollow 
of the rock ; here they had evidently been drinking only 
a few minutes previous, as the tracks of their feet upon 
the margin of the pool were still wet. I now went on 
in advance of the party with great caution, as I knew 
that we were not many paces from the herd. Passing 
through several passages among the rocks, I came sud- 
denly upon a level plateau of ground covered with 
dense lemon grass about twelve feet high, which was so 
thick and tangled that a man could w^ith difficulty force 
his way through it. This level space was about two 
acres in extent, and was surrounded by jungle upon all 
sides but one ; on this side, to our right as we entered, 
the mountain rose in rocky steps, from the crevices of 
which the lemon grass grew in tall tufts. 

The instant that I arrived in this spot I perceived the 
flap of an elephant's ear in the high grass, about thirty 



Discover a Herd, 301 

paces from me, and upon careful inspection I distin- 
guished two elejDhants standing close together. By the 
rustling of the grass in different places I could see that 
the herd was scattered, but I could not make out the 
elephants individually, as the grass was above their 
lieads. 

I paused for some minutes to consider the best plan 
of attack ; but the gun-bearers, who were behind me, 
being in a great state of excitement, began to whisper 
to each other, and in arranging their positions behind 
their respective masters they knocked several of the 
guns together. In the same moment the two leading 
elephants discovered us, and, throwing their trunks up 
perpendicularl}', they blew the shrill trumpet of alarm 
without attempting to retreat. Several trumpets an- 
swered the call immediately from different positions in 
the high grass, from which trunks were thrown up and 
huge heads just appeared in many places, as they en- 
aeavored to discover the danger which the leaders had 
announced. 

The growl of an elephant is exactly like the rumbling 
of thunder, and from their deep lungs the two leaders, 
who had discovered us, kept up an uninterrupted peal, 
thus calling the herd together. Nevertheless, they did 
not attempt to retreat, but stood gazing attentively at us 
with their ears cocked, looking extremely vicious. In 
the mean time we stood perfectly motionless, lest we 
should scare them before the whole herd had closed up. 
In about a minute a dense mass of elephants had col- 
lected round the two leaders, who were all gazing at us ; 
and thinking this a favorable moment, I gave the word, 
and we pushed tow^ard them through the high grass. 
A portion of the herd immediately wheeled round and 



202 The Rifle and Hoimd in Ceylon. 

retreated as we advanced, but five elephants, including 
the two who had first discovered us, formed in a compact 
line abreast, and thrashing the long grass to the right 
and left with their trunks, with ears cocked and tails 
up, they came straight at us. We pushed on to meet 
them, but they still came on in a perfect line till within 
ten paces of us. 

A cloud of smoke hung over the high grass as the 
rifles cracked in rapid succession, and the Jive ele- 
■phants lay dead in the same order as they had ad- 
vanced. The spare guns had been beautifully handed. 
And running between the carcases, we got into the 
lane that the remaining portion of the herd had made 
by crushing the high grass in their retreat. We were 
up with them in a few moments : down went one, then 
another ; up he got again, almost immediately recover- 
ing from V.'s shot ; down he went again as I floored 
him with my last barrel. 

I was now unloaded, as I had only two of my double- 
barreled No. lo rifles out that day, but the chase was 
so exciting that I could not help following empty- 
handed, in the hope that some gun-bearer might put 
one of V.'s spare guns in my hand. A large elephant 
and her young one, who was about three feet and a half 
high, were retreating up the rugged side of the moun- 
tain, and the mother, instead of protecting the little one, 
was soon a hundred paces ahead of him, and safely lo- 
cated in a thick jungle which covered that portion of 
the mountain. Being empty-handed, I soon scrambled 
up and caught the little fellow by the tail ; but he was 
so strong that I could not hold him, although I exerted 
all my strength, and he dragged me slowly toward the 
jungle to which his mother had retreated V. now 



A Furious Charge. 203 

came up ; and he being loaded, I told him to keep a 
look out for the mother's return, while I secured my 
captive, by seizing him by the trunk with one hand 
and by the tail with the other ; in this manner I could 
just master him by throwing my whole weight down 
the hill ; and he began to roar like a full-grown ele- 
phant. The mother was for a wonder faithless to her 
charge, and did not return to the little one's assistance. 
While I was engaged in securing him, the gun-bearers 
came up, and at this moment I observed, at the foot of 
the hill, another elephant not quite full grown, who 
was retreating through the high grass toward the jun- 
gle. There were no guns charged except one of my 
No. 10 rifles, which some one had reloaded ; taking 
this, I left the little " Poonchy" with V. and the gun- 
bearers, and running down the side of the hill, I came 
up with the elephant just as he was entering the jun- 
gle, and getting the ear-shot I killed him. 

We had now bagged nine elephants, and only one 
had escaped from the herd ; this was the female who 
had forsaken her young one. 

Wallace now came up and cut off the tails of those 
that I had killed. I had one barrel still loaded, and I 
was pushing my way through the tangled grass to- 
ward the spot where the five elephants lay together, 
when I suddenly heard Wallace shriek out, " Look out, 
sir ! Look out ! — an elephant's coming !" 

I turned round in a moment ; and close past Wal- 
lace, from the very spot where the last dead elephant 
lay, came the very essence and incarnation of a " rogue" 
elephant in full charge. His trunk was thrown high in 
the air, his ears were cocked, his tail stood high above 
his back as stiff as a poker, and screaming exactly like 



204 The Rijie and Hound in Ceylcn, 

the whistle of a railway engine, he rushed upon me 
through the high grass with a velocity that was per- 
fectly wonderful. His eyes flashed as he came on, and 
he had singled me out as his victim. 

I have often been in dangerous positions, but I never 
felt so totally devoid of hope as I did in this instance. 
The tangled grass rendered retreat impossible. I had 
only one barrel loaded, and that was useless, as the up- 
raised trunk protected his forehead. I felt myself 
doomed ; the few thoughts that rush through men's 
minds in such hopeless positions flew through mine, 
and I resolved to w^ait for him till he was close upon 
me before I fired, hoping that he might lower his trunk 
and expose his forehead. 

He rushed along at the pace of a horse in full speed ; 
in a few moments, as the grass flew to the right and 
left before him, he was close upon me, but still his 
trunk was raised and I would not fire. One second 
more, and at this headlong pace he was within three 
feet of me ; down slashed his trunk with the rapidity 
of a whip-thong, and with a shrill scream of fury he 
was upon me. 

I fired at that instant ; but in a twinkling of an eye 
I was flying through the air like a ball from a bat. At 
the moment of firing I had jumped to the left, but he 
struck me with his tusk in full charge upon my right 
thigh, and hurled me eight or ten paces from him. 
That very moment he stopped, and, turning round, he 
beat the grass about with his trunk and commenced a 
strict search for me. I heard him advancing close to 
the spot where I lay as still as death, knowing that my 
last chance lay in concealment. I heard the grass 
rustling close to the spot where I lay ; closer and closer 



Caught at Last. ' 205 

he approached, and he at length beat the grass with his 
trunk several times exactly above me. I held my 
breath, momentarily expecting to feel his ponderous 
foot upon me. Although I had not felt the sensation 
of fear while I had stood opposed to him, I felt like 
what I never wish to feel again while he was delibe- 
rately hunting me up. Fortunately I had resented my 
fire until the rifle had almost touched him, for the 
powder and smoke had nearly blinded him and had 
spoiled his acute power of scent. To my joy I heard 
the rustling of the grass grow fainter ; again, I heard 
it at a still greater distance ; at length it was gone ! 

At that time I thought that half my bones were 
broken, as I was numbed from head to foot by the force 
of the blow. His charge can only be compared to a 
blow from a railway engine going at twenty miles an 
hour. 

Not expecting to be able to move, I crept to my 
hands and knees. To my delight there were no bones 
broken, and with a feeling of thankfulness I stood 
erect. I with difficulty reached a stream of water near 
the spot, in which I bathed my leg, but in a few minutes 
't swelled to the size of a man's waist. In this spot 
eveiy one had congregated and were loading their 
guns, but the rogue had escaped. 

My cap and rifle were now hunted for, and they 
were at length found near the spot where I had been 
caught. The elephant had trodden on the stock of the 
rifle, and it bears the marks of his foot to this day. 

In a few minutes I was unable to move. We there- 
fore sent to the tent for the horses, and arrived at 6 p.m., 
having had a hard day's work from 5 a.m. without 
food. 
18 



2o6 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

On arrival at the tent, we found Banda and the 
trackers. 

There could not be a better exemplification of a 
rogue than in this case. A short distance apart from 
the herd he had concealed himself in the jungle, from 
which position he had witnessed the destruction of his 
mates. He had not stirred a foot until he saw us 
totally unprepared, when he instantly seized the op- 
portunity and dashed out upon me. If I had attempted 
to run from him, I should have been killed, as he would 
have struck me in the back ; my only chance was in 
the course which I pursued — to wait quietly until he 
was just over me, and then to jump on one side : he 
thus struck me on the thickest part of the thigh instead 
of striking me in the stomach, which he must have 
done had I remained in my first position ; this would 
have killed me on the spot. 

I passed an uncomfortable night, my leg being very 
painful and covered with wet bandages of vinegar and 
water. The bruise came out from my ankle to my 
hip ; the skin was broken where the tusk had struck 
me ; and the blood had started under the skin over a 
surface of nearly a foot, making the bruise a bright 
purple, and giving the whole affair a most unpleasant 
appearance. The next morning I could not move my 
leg, which felt like a sack of sand, and was perfectly 
numbed ; however, I kept on a succession of cold lo- 
tions, and after breakfast I was assisted upon my horse, 
and we moved the encampment to Nielgalla. On the 
following day I could just manage to hobble along, my 
leg being at least double its usual size, and threatening 
to spoil my sport for the whole trip. 

We were seated at breakfast when a native came in, 



A Thorough Rogtie, 207 

bringing intelligence of a herd of elephants about foui 
miles distant. I was not in a state for shooting, but I 
resolved to mount my steady old horse Jack and take 
my chance of revenge for my mishap. The guns w^ere 
accordingly loaded, and we started. 

We had ridden through the Park for about three 
miles, and had just turned round the corner of a patch 
of jungle, when we came suddenly upon a large rogue 
elephant, who was standing in the open, facing us at 
about seventy yards. The moment that he saw the 
horses, he turned sharp round and retreated to a long 
belt of fine open forest which was close behind him. 
There was no resisting the invitation upon such favor- 
able ground, and immediately dismounting we followed 
him. I now found that my leg was nearly useless, and 
I could only move at a, snail's pace, and even then with 
great pain. Upon reaching the forest, we found that 
the rogue had decamped, not wishing to meet us in 
such advantageous ground. We followed his tracks 
for a few hundred yards through the forest till we sud 
denly emerged upon a large tract of high lemon grass. 
Into this our cunning foe had retreated, and with my 
decreased powers of locomotion I did not wish to pur- 
sue him further. I was at length persuaded by Banda 
to make a trial, and we accordingly left the track and 
pushed our way through the high grass to some rising 
ground, from which we could look over the surface of 
waving vegetation and find out the exact position of 
the elephant. While forcing our way through the 
dense mass I momentarily expected to hear the rush of 
the rogue charging down upon us, and I was glad to 
find myself at length safe in the position we had steered 
for. 



2o8 The Rijie a7id Hound in Ceylon. 

UpOD scanning the surface of the grass, I distin* 
guished the elephant immediately ; he was standing 
close to the edge of the jangle in the high grass, facing 
us, at about a hundred and fifty yards distant. He was 
a picture of intense excitement and attention, and was 
evidently waiting for us. In the position that we now 
occupied we unavoidably gave him the wind, and he 
of course almost* immediately discovered us. Giving 
two or three shrill trumpets, he paced quickly to and 
fro before the jungle, as though he were guarding the 
entrance. To enter the high grass to attack him would 
have been folly, as he was fully prejDared, and when 
once in the tangled mass we could not have seen him 
until he was upon us ; we therefore amused ourselves 
for about ten minutes by shooting at him. During this 
time he continued pacing backward and forward, 
screaming almost without intermission ; and having 
suddenly made up his mind to stand this bullying no 
longer, he threw his trunk up in the air and charged 
straight at us. The dust flew like smoke from the dry 
grass as he rushed through it ; but we were well pre- 
pared to receive him. Not wishing him to come to 
close quarters with my useless leg, I gave him a shot 
with my two-ounce rifle, at about a hundred and twenty 
paces. It did not even check him, but it had the effect 
of making him lower his trunk, and he came on at un- 
diminished speed. Taking the four-ounce rifle from 
Wallace, I he^rd the crack of the ball as it entered his 
head at about a hundred yards. He was down ! A gen- 
eral shout of exclamation rose from Banda and all the 
gun-bearers. 1 reloaded the four-ounce immediately, 
and the ball was just rammed home when we heard the 
supposed dead elephant roaring on the ground. In 



Another Herd. 



309 



another moment he regained his legs and stood with his 
broadside exposed to us, stunned with the heavy ball in 
his head. Taking a steady shot at his shoulder, I gave 
him a second dose of the four-ounce : he reeled to and 
fro and staggered into the jungle. I dared not follow 
him in my crippled state, and we returned to the horses ; 
but the next day he was found dead by the natives. 
^' I much feared that the shot fired might have dis- 
turbed the herd of elephants, as they were reported to 
be not far distant; this, however, proved not to be the 
case, as we met the watchers about a mile farther on, 
who reported the herd to be perfectly undisturbed, but 
located in the everlasting lemon grass. At this time 
the greater portion of the Park was a mass of this 
abominable grass, and there was no chance of getting 
the elephants in any other position, this serving them at 
the same time for both food and shelter. How they 
can eat it is a puzzle : it is as sharp as a knife, and as 
coarse as a file, with a flavor of the most pungent 
lemon peel. 

We shortly arrived at the spot in which the herd was 
concealed ; it was a gentle slope covered with dense 
lemon grass, terminated by a jungle. We could just 
distinguish the tops of the elephants' heads in 'several 
places, and, having dismounted, we carefully entered 
the grass and crept toward the nearest elephants. The 
herd was much scattered, but there were five elephants 
close to each other, and we made toward these, Banda 
leading the way. My only chance of making a bag 
lay in the first onset, I therefore cautioned Wallace to 
have the spare guns handed with extra diligence, and 
we crept up to our game. There were two elephants 
facing us, but we stalked them so carefully through the 
18* 



2IO The Rifle and Houitd in Ceylon, 

high grass that we got within four paces of them before 
they discovered us ; they cocked their ears for an 
instant, and both rolled over at the same moment to the 
front shot. Away dashed the herd, trumpeting and 
screaming as they rushed through the high grass. For 
a fiw moments my game leg grew quite lively, as it was 
all down-hill work, and I caught up to an elephant and 
killed him with the left-hand barrel. Getting a spare 
gun, I was lucky enough to get between two elephants 
who were running abreast toward the jungle, and I 
bagged them by a right and left shot. Off went the 
herd at a slapping pace through the jungle, V. pitching 
it into them, but unfortunately to very little purpose, as 
they had closed up and formed a barrier of sterns, and 
we could not get a good shot. For about a quarter of 
a mile I managed to hobble along, carried away by the 
excitement of the chase, through jungles, hollows and 
small glades, till my leg, which had lost all feeling, 
suddenly gave way, and I lay sprawling on my face, 
incapable of going a step farther. I had killed four 
elephants ; six had been killed altogether. It was very 
bad luck, as the herd consisted of eleven ; but the 
ground was very unfavorable, and my leg gave way 
when it was most required. 

A few days after this, the tents were pitched on the 
banks of the broad river of Pattapalaar, about eight 
miles beyond Nieigalla. Elephants were very scarce, 
and the only chance of getting them was to work hard. 
We w^ere on horseback at break of day, and having 
forded the river, we rode silently through plain and 
forest in search of tracks. We refused every shot at 
deer, lest we should disturb the country and scare away 
the elephants. 



Bears. 211 

We had ridden for some distance upon an elephant 
path, through a tolerably open forest at the foot of a 
range of rocky mountains, when Banda, who was sonje 
paces in advance, suddenly sprang back again, crying, 
'' Wallaha ! wallaha !" (bears ! bears !) We were off 
our horses in a moment, but I fell sprawling upon my 
back, my leg being so powerless and numbed that I 
could not feel when I touched the ground. I recovered 
myself just in time to see a bear waddling along through 
the jungle, and I pushed after him in pursuit at my 
best pace. V. had disappeared in the jungle in pursuit 
of another bear, and I presently heard two or three 
shots. In the mean time my game had slackened speed 
to a careless kind of swaggering walk ; and the under- 
wood being rather thick, I was determined to get close 
to him before I fired, as I knew that I could not follow 
him far, and my success would therefore depend upon 
the first shot. I overtook him in a few moments, and 
I was following within a foot of his tail, waiting for a 
chance for a clear shot between his shoulders, as the 
thick underwood parted above his back, when he sud- 
denly sprung round, and with a fierce roar he leaped, 
upon the muzzle of the gun. I fired both barrels into 
him as he threw his whole weight against it, and I 
rolled him over in a confused cloud of smoke and crack- 
ling bushes. In a moment he was on his legs again, 
but going off through the thick underwood at a pace 
that in my helpless state soon left me far behind. His 
state must have been far from enviable, as he left por- 
tions of his entrails all along his track. V. had killed 
his bear ; he weighed about two hundred pounds, and 
measured fourteen inches round the arm, without his 
hide. 



212 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

The Ceylon bear is a most savage animal, constantlj 
attacking men without the slightest provocation. I 
have seen many natives frightfully disfigured by the 
attacks of bears, which they dread more than any other 
animal. Nothing would induce my trackers to follow 
up the wounded bear. I followed him as far as I could, 
but my useless limb soon gave way, and I was obliged 
to give him up. I once saw a Moorman, who was a 
fine powerful fellow and an excellent elephant-tracker, 
who had a narrow escape from a bear. He was cut- 
ting bamboos with a catty or kind of bill-hook, when 
one of these animals descended from a tree just above 
him and immediately attacked him. The man instinc- 
tively threw his left arm forward to receive the bear, 
who seized it in his mouth and bit the thumb completely 
oft^, lacerating the arm and wrist at the same time in a 
frightful manner. With one blow of the bill-hook the 
Moorman cleft the bear's skull to the teeth, at the same 
time gashing his own arm to the bone by the force of 
the blow ; and he never afterward recovered the proper 
use of the limb. 

The Ceylon bear feeds upon almost anything that 
offers ; he eats honey, ants, fruit, roots and flesh, when- 
ever he can procure it : his muscular power is enor- 
mous, and he exerts both teeth and claws in his attack. 
They are very numerous in Ceylon, although they are 
seldom met with in any number, owing to their noctur- 
nal habits, which attract them to their caves at break 
of day. 

After strolling over the country for some miles, we 
came upon fresh elephant-tracks in high grass, which 
we immediately followed up. In the course of half an 
hour, after tracking them for about two miles through 



A Musical Herd. 213 

open country, we entered a fine forest, in which the 
herd had retired ; but our hopes of meeting them in this 
favorable ground were suddenly damped by arriving at 
a dense chenar jungle in the very heart of the forest. 
This ch6nar extended for some acres, and rose like a 
hedge, forming a sudden wall of thorns, which effectu- 
ally checked our advance. The elephants had retired 
to this secure retreat, and having winded us they kept 
up an uninterrupted roaring. I never heard such a 
musical herd: the deep and thunder-like growls, com- 
bined with the shrill trumpet and loud roars, as they all 
joined in concert, had a particularly grand effect, and 
a novice in elephant-shooting would have felt his heart 
beat in double time. 

There was a rogue consorting with his herd, and it 
was necessary to be particularly cautious in the attack. 
It was impossible to enter such thick jungle, and we 
waited for some hours in the forest, close to the edge of 
the chenar, trying every dodge in vain to induce the 
herd to quit their stronghold. They were continually 
on the qui vive. Sometimes a tremendous rush would 
be heard in the thick jungle as the herd would charge 
toward us ; but they invariably stopped just upon the 
borders, and would not venture into the open forest. 
On one occasion I thought we had them : they rushed 
to the edge of the thick jungle, and suddenly filed off to 
the left and halted in a line within a few feet of the 
forest. We were within six paces of them, concealed 
behind the trunks of several large trees, from which we 
could discover the dim forms of six elephants through 
the screen of thorns, which had a similar effect to that 
produced by looking through a gauze veil. For some 
moments they stood in an attitude of intense attention, 



214 The Bifle and Hou7zd in Ceylon. 

and I momentarily expected them to break cover j as 
we were perfectly still and motionless in our concealed 
position. Suddenly they winded us, and whisked round 
to the thick jungle, disappearing like magic. 

We now tried the effect of bulging, and we sent men 
to different parts of the jungle to shout and fire guns ; 
this stirred up the wrath of the rogue, and he suddenly 
burst from the thick jungle and rushed into the open 
forest right among us. We were both standing behind 
the trees ; and the gun-bearers, with the exception of 
Wallace, had thrown the guns down and had bolted 
up the trees when they heard the rush of the elephant 
through the jungle ; thus, upon his arrival in the open 
forest, he could see no one, and he stood gazing about 
him with his ears cocked and tail on end, not knowing 
exactly what to do, but ready to charge the first person 
that ishowed himself. He was an immense elephant, 
being one of the largest that I have ever seen, and he 
had as fine an expression of vice in his appearance as 
any rogue could wish for. Suddenl}^ he turned his trunk 
toward us, but he was puzzled as to the exact position 
of any one, as so many men were scattered among the 
trees. I was within twenty yards of him, and he turned 
his head toward the spot, and was just on the move for- 
ward when I anticipated his intentions by running up 
to him and knocking him over by a shot in the fore- 
head, which killed him. Unfortunately the herd at the 
same moment broke cover on the opposite side of the 
jungle, and escaped without a shot being fired at them. 
It was nearly dusk, and we were five miles from the 
tent ; we were therefore obliged to give them up. 

The next mornings at daybreak, I rode out with the 
grayhounds, Killbuck, Bran and Lena, to kill a deer. 



A Brace of Bucks. * 315 

The lemon grass was so high at this season that the 
dogs had no chance, and I was therefore compelled to 
pick out some spot which was free from this grass, and 
employ beaters to drive the jungles, instead of stalking 
the deer in the usual manner. I tracked a herd of deer 
into a large detached piece of cover, and, sending the 
beaters round to the opposite side, I posted myself with 
the grayhounds in the slips behind a clump of trees, 
upon a small plain of low, soft grass. 

The noise of the beaters approached nearer and near- 
er, and presently two splendid bucks with beautiful ant- 
lers rushed from the jungle about two hundred yards 
from me, and scudded over the plain. I slipped the 
grayhounds, and away they went in full fly, bounding 
over the soft turf in beautiful style. 

Mounting old Jack, who was standing at my elbow, 
and giving him the spur, I rode after them. It was a 
splendid course ; the two bucks separated. Bran and 
Lena taking after one, and Killbuck following the other 
in his usual dashing manner. Away they went with 
wonderful speed, the bucks constantly doubling to throw 
the dogs out ; but Killbuck never overshot his game, 
and as the buck doubled he was round after him in fine 
style. I now followed him, leaving Bran and Lena to 
do their best, and at a killing pace we crossed the plain 
— through a narrow belt of trees, down a stony hollow, 
over another plain, through a small jungle, on entering 
which Killbuck was within a few yards of the buck's 
haunches. 

Now old Jack is as fond of the sport as I am, and he 
kept up the chase in good style ; but just as we were fly- 
ing through some high lemon grass, a fallen tree, which 
was concealed beneath, tripped up the horse's fore legs, 



3i6 The Rijie ajzd Mound {?i Ceylon. 

and in an instant he was on his nose, turning a complete 
somersault. I was pitched some yards, and upon in- 
stinctively mounting again, the sparks were dancing in 
my eyes for some seconds before I recovered myself, as 
we again qontinued the chase with unabated speed. 

We pressed along up some rising ground, having 
lost sight of the game ; and as we reached the top of 
the hill, I looked around and saw the buck at bay 
about a hundred paces from me, upon fine level 
ground, fighting face to face with the dog, who sprang 
boldly at his head. That buck was a noble fellow ; he 
rushed at the dog, and they met like knights in a tour- 
nament ; "but it was 'murderous work : he received the 
reckless dog upon his sharp antlers and bored him to 
the ground. In another instant Killbuck had recovered 
himself, and he again came in full fly at the buck's face 
with wonderful courage ; again the buck rushed for- 
ward to meet him, and once more the pointed antlers 
pinned the dog, and the buck, following up his charge, 
rolled him over and over for some yards. 

By this time I had galloped up, and I was within a 
few feet of the buck when he suddenly sprung round 
with the evident intention of charging the horse. In 
the same moment Killbuck seized the opportunity, and 
the buck plunged violently upon the ground, with the 
staunch dog hanging upon his throat. I jumped off my 
horse, and the buck fell dead by a thrust with the knife 
behind the shoulder. 

I now examined the dog ; he was wounded In several 
places, but as he bled but little, I hoped that his ap- 
parent exhaustion arose more from the fatigue of the 
fight than from any severe injury. 

At this time Bran and Lena came up ; they had lost 



Death of Killhuck. %i*j 

their deer In some high lemon grass, but they also were 
both wounded by the buck's horns. I now put Killbuck 
and Lena together in the slips, and with the buck, car- 
ried upon cross poles by six men, I rode toward the 
tent. I had not proceeded far when the man-who was 
leading the grayhounds behind my horse suddenly cried 
out, and on turning round I saw Killbuck lying on the 
ground. I was at his side in a moment, and I released 
his neck from the slips. It was too late ; his languid 
head fell heavily upon the earth ; he gave me one part- 
ing look, and after a few faint gasps he was gone. 

I could hardly believe he was dead. Taking off my 
cap, I ran to a little stream and brought some water, 
which I threw in his face ; but his teeth were set, his 
eyes were glazed, and the best and truest dog that was 
ever born was dead. Poor Killbuck ! he had died like 
a hero, and though I grieved over him, I could not have 
wished him a more glorious death. 

I was obliged to open him to discover the real injury. 
I had little thought that the knife which had so often 
come to his assistance was destined to so sad a task. 
His lungs were pierced through by the deer's horns in 
two places, and he had died of sudden suffocation by 
internal hsBmorrhage. A large hollow tree grew close 
to the spot in which I buried him. The stag's antlers 
now hang in the hall, a melancholy but glorious me- 
mento of poor Killbuck. 

In a few days my leg had so much improved that I 
could again use it without much inconvenience ; I 
therefore determined to pay the cave a visit, as I felt 
convinced that elephants would be more numerous in 
that neighborhood. We started in the cool of the after- 
noon, as the distance was not more than eight miles 
19 



2l8 The Rijie and Hound in Ceylon, 

from our encampment. We had proceeded about half- 
way, and our horses were picking their way with diffi- 
culty over some rocky hills, when we came upon fresh 
tracks of a herd of elephants. It was too late to go 
after them that evening, we therefore pitched the tent 
upon the spot, resolving to track them up at daybreak 
on the following morning. 

We were accordingly out before sunrise, and came 
upon the tracks within a mile of the tent. We at 
length discovered the herd upon the summit of a steep 
rocky hill. There were no trees in this part, and we 
carefully ascended the hill, stepping from rock to rock, 
and occasionally concealing ourselves in the high grass, 
till we at length stood at the very feet of the elephants, 
two of whom were standing upon a large platform of 
rock, about seven feet above us. They were so high 
above us that I was obliged to aim about four inches 
down the trunk, so that the ball should reach the brain 
in an upward direction ; this shot proved successful, 
and killed him. V., who had not taken this precaution, 
missed ; and the whole herd of eight elephants started 
off in full retreat. 

The rocks were so steep that it occupied some time 
in climbing over the top of the hill; upon reaching 
which, we saw the elephants going off at great speed, 
with a start of about two hundred paces. The ground 
was perfectly open, covered by small loose rocks free 
from grass, and the chase commenced in good earnest. 
With the elephants in view the whole time, and going 
at a great pace, a mile was run without the possibility 
of firing a shot. By this time we had arrived at an un- 
dulating country covered with small rocks, and grass 
about four feet high, which made the pace dreadfully 



Good Sport vjlth Elefhants. 319 

fatiguing ; still we dared not slacken the speed for an 
instant lest the elephants should distance us. This was 
the time for rifles to tell, although their weight (15 lbs.) 
was rather trying in so long and fast a run. I was 
within eighty paces of the herd, and I could not de- 
crease the distance by a single yard. I halted and took 
a shot at the ear of a large elephant in the middle of 
the herd. The shot so stunned him that, instead of 
going on straight, he kept turning round and round as 
though running after his tail; "this threw the herd into 
confusion, and some ran to the right and others to the 
left, across some steep hollows. Running up to my 
wounded elephant, I extinguished him with my re- 
maining barrel ; and getting a spare rifle from Wallace, 
who was the only gun-bearer who had kept up, I floored 
another elephant, who was ascending the opposite side 
of a hollow about forty yards ofl': this fellow took two 
shots, and accord ingl}^ I was left unloaded. V. had 
made good play with the rifles as the herd was crossing 
the hollow^, and he had killed three, making six bagged 
in all. The remaining two elephants reached a thick 
jungle and escaped. 

We returned to the tent, and after a bath we sat 
down with a glorious appetite to breakfast, having 
bagged six elephants before seven o'clock A. M. 

In the afternoon we went to the cave and sent out 
trackers. We were very hard up for provisions in this 
place : there were no deer in the neighborhood, and 
we lived upon squirrels and parrots, both of which are 
excellent eating, but not ver}'- substantial fare. 

The whole of this part of the country was one dark 
mass of high lemon grass, which, not having been 
burnt, was a tangled mixture of yellow stalks and sharp 



220 The Rifle a?id Hound in Ceylon, 

blades, which completely destroyed the pleasure of 
shooting. , 

In this unfavorable ground we found a herd of ten 
elephants, and after waiting for some time in the hope 
of their feeding into a better country, we lost all pa- 
tience and resolved to go in at them and do the best we 
could. It was late in the afternoon, and the herd, who 
were well aware of our position, had all closed up in a 
dense body, and with their trunks thrown up they were 
trumpeting and screaming as though to challenge us to 
the attack. 

Pushing our way through the high grass, we got 
within six paces of the elephants before they attempted 
to turn, and the heavy battery opened upon them in 
fine style. Leveling the grass in their path, they 
rushed through it in a headlong retreat, V. keeping 
on one flank, while I took the other ; and a race com- 
menced, which continued for about half a mile at full 
speed, the greater part of this distance being up hill. 
None of these elephants proved restive ; and on arriv- 
ing at thick jungle two only entered out of the ten that 
had composed the herd ; the remaining eight lay here 
and there along the line of the hunt. 

Out of four herds and three rogues fired at we had 
bagged thirty-one elephants in a few days' shooting. 
My mishap on the first day had much destroyed the 
pleasure of the sport, as the exercise was too much for 
my wounded leg, which did not recover from the feel- 
ing of numbness for some months. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Excitement of Elephant-shooting— An Unexpected VisiToa 
—A Long Run with a Buck— Hard Work Rewarded — A 
Glorious Bay— End of a Hard Day's Work— Bee-hunt- 
ers— Disasters OF Elk-hunting— Br n Wounded— "Old 
Smut's " Buck— Boar at Hackgalla— Death of " Old 
Smut "—Scenery from the Perewelle Mountains — Dia- 
bolical Death of " Merriman "—Scene of the Murder. 

IN describing so many incidents in elephant-shoot- 
ing it is difficult to convey a just idea of the true 
grandeur of the sport : it reads too easy. A certain 
number are killed out of a herd after an animated chase, 
and the description of the hunt details the ;imount of 
slaughter, but cannot possibly explain the peculiar ex- 
citement which attends elephant-shooting beyond all 
other sports. The size of the animal is so dispropor- 
tionate to that of the hunter that the effect of a large 
herd of these monsters flying before a single man would 
be almost ridiculous could the chase be witnessed by 
some casual observer who was proof against the ex- 
citement of the sport. The effect of a really good 
elephant shot in the pursuit of a herd over open coun- 
try is very fine. With such weapons as the double-bar- 
reled No. lo rifles, a shot is seldom wasted ; and 
during the chase, an elephant drops from the herd at 
every puff of smoke. It is a curious sight, and one of 
19 • 221 



222 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the grandest in the world, to see a fine rogue elephant 
knocked over in full charge. His onset appears so irre- 
sistible, and the majesty of his form so overwhelming, 
that I have frequently almost mistrusted the power of 
man over such a beast ; but one shot well placed, with 
a heavy charge of powder behind the ball, reduces him 
in one instant to a mere heap of flesh. 

One of the most disgusting sights is a dead elephant 
four or five days after the fatal shot. In a tropical cli- 
mate, where decomposition proceeds with such won- 
derful rapidity, the effect of the sun upon such a mass 
can be readily understood. The gas generated in the 
inside distends the carcase to an enormous size, until it 
at length bursts and becomes in a few hours afterward 
one living heap of maggots. Three weeks after an ele- 
phant is killed nothing remains but his bones and a 
small heap of dried cases, from which the flies have 
emerged when the time arrived for them to change from 
the form of maggots. The sight of the largest of the 
animal creation being thus reduced from life to nothing- 
xiess within so short a space of time is an instance of 
the perishable tenure of mortality which cannot fail to 
strike the most unthinking. The majesty, the power 
and the sagacity of the enormous beast are scattered in 
the myriads of flies which have fed upon him. 

It is a delightful change after a sporting trip of a few 
weeks in the hot climates to return again to the cool 
and even teniperature of Newxra Ellia. The tent is a 
pleasant dwelling when no other can be obtained, but 
the comfort of a good house is never so much appre- 
ciated as on the return from the jungle. 

One great pleasure in the hunting at Newera Ellia is 
the ease with which it is obtained. In fact, the sport 



1 



An Unexpected Visitor. 223 

lies at the very door. This may be said to be literally 
true and not a fagon de parler^ as I once killed an elk 
that jumped through a window. It was a singular in» 
cident. The hounds found three elk at the same time 
on the mountain at the back of the hotel at Newera El- 
lia. The pack divided : several hounds were lost fof 
two days, having taken their elk to an impossible coun- 
try, and the rest of the pack concentrated upon a doe, 
with the exception of old Smut, who had another elk 
all to himself. This elk, which was a large doe, he 
brought down from the top of the mountain to the back 
of the hotel, just as w^e had killed the other, which the 
pack had brought to the same place. A great number 
of persons were standing in the hotel yard to view the 
sport, when old Smut and his game appeared, rushing 
in full fly through the crowd. The elk was so bothered 
and headed that she went through the back door of the 
hotel at full gallop, and Smut, with his characteristic 
sagacity, immediately bolted round to the front of the 
house, naturally concluding that if she went in at the 
back door she must come out at the front. He was 
perfectly right ; the old dog stood on the lawn before 
the hotel, w^atching the house with great eagerness. In 
the mean time the elk was galloping from room to room 
in the hot-el, chased by a crowd of people, until she at 
length took refuge in a lady's bed-room, from which 
there was no exit, as the window was closed. The 
crash of glass may be imagined as an animal as large 
as a pony leaped through it ; but old Smut was ready 
for her, and after a chase of a few yards he pulled her 
down. This is the only instance that I have ever 
known of an elk entering a building, although it is a 
common occurrence with hunted deer in England. 



334 ^^ Rijle and Hound in Ceylon, 

An elk found on the top of Pedro talla Galla, which 
rises from the plain of Newera Ellia, will generally run 
straight down the mountain, and, unless headed, he will 
frequently come to bay in the river close to the hotels 
which is situated at the foot of the mountain. This, 
however, is not a rule without an exception, as the elk 
on some occasions takes a totally different direction, 
and gives a hard day's work. 

It was on the 27th of July, 1852, that I had a run of 
this kind. It was six A. M. when my youngest brother 
and I started from the foot of Pedro to ascend the moun- 
tain. The path is three miles long, through jungle the 
whole way to the summit. There were fresh tracks of 
elk near the top of the mountain, the dew lay heavily 
upon the leaves, and the scent was evidently strong, as 
Merriman and Ploughboy, the two leading hounds, 
dashed off upon it, followed by the whole pack. In a 
few minutes we heard them in full cry about a quarter 
of a mile from us, going straight down the hill. Giving 
them a good holloa, we started off down the path at a 
round pace, and in les? than a quarter of an hour we 
were at the foot of the mountain on the plain. Here 
we found a number of people who had headed the elk 
(a fine buck) just as he was breaking cover, and he had 
turned back, taking off to some other line of country at 
a great pace, as we could not hear even a whimper. 
This was enough to make a saint swear, and, blessing 
heartily the fellows who had headed him, we turned 
back and retraced our steps up the mountain to listen 
for the cry of the pack among the numerous ravines 
which furrow the sides. 

It was of no use : we could hear nothing but the 
mocking chirp of birds and the roaring of the mountain 



A Long Run with a Buck, 225 

torrents. Not a sign of elk or dogs. The grayhoundi 
were away with the pack, and knowing that the dogs 
would never leave him till dark, we determined not to 
give them up. No less than three times in the course 
of the day did we reascend the mountain to listen for 
them in vain. We went up to the top of the Newera 
Ellia Pass, in the hope of hearing them in that direc- 
tion, but with the same want of success. Miles of 
ground were gone over to no purpose. Scaling the 
steep sides of the mountains at the back of the barracks, 
we listened among the deep hollows on the other side, 
but again we were disappointed ; the sound of the tor- 
rents was all that we could hear. 

Descending again to the plain, we procured some 
breakfast at a friend's house, and we started for the 
Matturatta plains. These plains are about three or four 
miles from the barracks ; and I had a faint hope that 
the buck might have crossed over the mountain, and 
descended into this part of the country to a river which 
flows through the patinas. We now mounted our 
horses, having been on foot all the morning. It was 
three o'clock p.m., and, with little hope of finding the 
dogs, we rode along the path toward the Matturatta 
plains. 

We had just entered the forest, when we met a young 
hound returning along the path with a wound from a 
buck's horn in the shoulder. There was now no doubt 
of the direction, and we galloped along the path to- 
wa :d the plains as hard as we could go. About half 
wq 7 to the plains, to my joy I saw an immense buck's 
track in the path going in the same direction ; the toes 
were spread wide apart, showing the pace at which he 
had been going ; and there were dogs' tracks following 

P 



226 The Rifle a7id Hound in Ceylon* 

him. all as fresh as could be. This was a gladdening 
sight after a hard day's work, and we gave a random 
cheer to encourage any dogs that might be within 
hearing, rattling our horses over the ground at their 
best speed. 

At last the plains were reached. We pulled up our 
panting steeds, and strained every nerve to hear the cry 
of the hounds. The snorting of the horses prevented 
our hearing any distant sound, and I gave a holloa and 
listened for some answering voice from a dog. Instead 
of a sound. Bran and Lucifer suddenly appeared. This 
was conclusive evidence that the pack was somewhere 
in this direction, and we rode out into the plain and 
again listened. Hark to old Smut! there was his deep 
voice echoing from the opposite hills. Yoick to him. 
Bran ! forward to him, Lucifer ! and away the gray- 
hounds dashed toward the spot from which the sound 
proceeded. The plain forms a wide valley with a river 
winding through the centre, and we galloped over the 
patinas after the grayhounds in full speed. There was 
no mistaking the bay. I could now distinguish Merri- 
man's fine voice in addition to that of old Smut, and a 
general chorus of other tongues joined in, till the woods 
rung again. The horses knew the sport, and away they 
went, but suddenly over went old Jack, belly-deep in a 
bog, and sent me flying over his head. There is noth- 
ing like companionship in an accident, and Momus ac- 
cordingly pitched upon his nose in the same bog, my 
brother describing a fine spread-eagle as he sprawled 
in the soft ground. We were close to the bay ; the 
horses extricated themselves directly, and again mount- 
ing we rode hard to the spot. 

The buck was at bay in the river, and tlie exhausted 



A Glorious Bay. 227 

dogs were yelling at him from the bank. The instant 
that we arrived and cheered them on, old Smut came 
from the pack toward us with an expression of perfect 
delight; he gave himself two or three rolls on the 
grass, and then went to the fight like a lion. The 
buck, however, suddenly astonished the whole pack by 
jumping out of the river, and, charging right through 
them, he started over the plain toward the jungle, with 
the whole pack after him. He had refreshed himself 
by standing for so long in the cold stream, while the 
dogs, on the contrarj^, were nearly worn out. He 
reached the jungle with the whole pack at his heels ; 
but after doubling backward and forward in the forest 
for about five minutes, we heard the crash in the 
bushes as he once more rushed toward the plain, and 
he broke cover in fine style, with the three gray hounds, 
Bran, Lucifer and Lena, at his haunches. In another 
instant he was seized, but he fell with such a shock 
that it threw the grayhounds from their hold, and re- 
covering himself with wonderful quickness, he went 
down the slope toward the river at a tremendous pace. 
The grayhounds overtook him just as he gained the 
steep bank of the river, and they all rolled over in a 
confused crowd into the deep water. 

The next moment the buck was seen swimming 
proudly down the river, with the whole pack follow- 
ing him down the stream in full cry. Presently he 
gained his footing, and, disdaining further flight, he 
turned bravely upon the hounds. 

He was a splendid fellow ; his nostrils were dis- 
tended, his mane was bristled up, and his eyes flashed, 
as, rearing to his full height he plunged forward and 
struck the leading dogs under the water. Not a dog 



228 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

could touch him ; one by one they were beaten down 
and half drowned beneath the water. Old Smut was 
to the front as usual ; down the old dog was beaten, 
but he reappeared behind the elk's shoulder, and the 
next moment he was hanging on his ear. The poor 
old dog had lost so many of his teeth in these encoun- 
ters that he could not keep his hold, and the buck gave 
a tremendous spring forward, shaking off the old dog 
and charging through the pack, sinking nearly half of 
them for a few moments beneath the water. He had 
too much pluck to fly farther, and, after wading shoul- 
der-deep against the stream for a few yards, he turned 
majestically round, and, facing the baying pack, he 
seemed determined to do or die. I never saw a finer 
animal ; there was a proud look of defiance in his as- 
pect which gave him a most noble appearance ; but at 
that time he had little pity bestowed upon him. 

There he stood ready to meet the first dog. Old 
Smut had been thrown to the rear as the buck turned, 
and Lena came beautifully to the front, leading the 
whole pack. There was a shallow sandbank in the 
river where the bitch could get a footing, and she 
dashed across it to the attack. The buck met her in 
her advance by a sudden charge, which knocked her 
over and over, but at the same instant Valiant, who is 
a fine, powerful dog, made a clever spring forward and 
pinned the buck by the ear. There was no shaking 
him off, and he was immediately backed up by Plough- 
boy, who caught the other ear most cleverly. There 
the two dogs hung like ear-rings as the buck, rearing 
up, swung them to and fro, but could not break their 
hold. In another moment the grayhounds were upon 
him — the whole pack covered him ; his beautiful form 



The Nillho. 



329 



was seen alternately rearing from the water with the 
dogs hanging upon him in all directions, then strug 
gl!ng in a confused mass nearly beneath the surface of 
the stream. He was a brave fellow, and had fousfht 
nobly, but there was no hope for him, and we put an 
end to the fight with the hunting-knife. 

It was past four o'clock p.m., and he had been found 
at seven a.m., but the conclusion fully repaid us for the 
day's work. The actual distance run by the buck was 
not above eight miles, but we had gone about twenty 
during the day, the greater portion of which was over 
most fatiguing ground. 

On an open country an elk would never be caught 
without gray hounds until he had run fifteen or twenty 
miles. The dense jungles fatigue him as he ploughs 
his way through them, and thus forms a path for the 
dogs behind him. How he can move in some of these 
jungles is an enigma ; a horse w^ould break his legs, 
and, in fact, could not stir in places through which an 
elk passes in full gallop. 

The principal underwood in the mountain districts 
of Ceylon is the " nillho." This is a perfectly straight 
stem, from twelve to twenty feet in length, and about 
an inch and a half in diameter, having no branches ex- 
cept a few small arms at the top, which are covered 
with large leaves. This plant, in proportion to its 
size, grows as close as corn in a field, and forms a 
dense jungle most difficult to penetrate. When the 
jungles are in this state, the elk is at a disadvantage, 
as the immense exertion required to break his way 
through this mass soon fatigues him, and forces him to 
come to bay. 

Every seven years this " nillho" blossoms. The jun- 
20 



230 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

gles are then neither more nor less than vast bouquets 
of bright purple and white flowers ; the perfume is de- 
licious, and swarms of bees migrate from other coun- 
tries to make their harvest of honey. The quantity 
collected is extraordinar}^ The bee-hunters start from 
the low country, and spend weeks in the jungle in col- 
lecting the honey and wax. When looking over an 
immense tract of forest from some elevated point, the 
thin blue lines of smoke may be seen rising in many 
directions, marking the sites of the bee-hunters' fires. 
Their method of taking the honey is simple enough. 
The bees' nests hang from the boughs of the trees, and 
a man ascends with a torch of green leaves, which 
creates a dense smoke. He approaches the nest and 
smokes off the swarm, which, on quitting the exterior 
of the comb, exposes a beautiful circular mass of honey 
and wax, generally about eighteen inches in diameter 
and six inches thick. The bee-hunter being provided 
with vessels formed from the rind of the gourd attached 
to ropes, now cuts up the comb and fills his chatties, 
lowering them down to his companions belo^v. 

When the blossom of the nillho fades, the seed 
forms ; this is a sweet little kernel, with the flavor of a 
nut. The bees now leave the country, and the jungles 
suddenly swarm, as though by magic, with pigeons, 
jungle-fowl and rats. At length the seed is shed and 
the nillho dies. 

The jungles then have a curious appearance. The 
underwood being dead, the forest-trees rise from a mass 
of dry sticks like thin hop-poles. The roots of these 
plants very soon decay, and a few weeks of high wind 
howling through the forest levels the whole mass, leav- 
ing the trees standing free from underwood. The appear 



Disasters of Elk-hunters. 231 

ance of the ground can now be imagined — a perfect 
chaos of dead sticks and poles, piled one on the other, 
in every direction, to a depth of between two and three 
feet. It can only be compared to a mass of hurdles 
being laid in a heap. The young nillho grows rapidly 
through this, concealing the mass of dead sticks be- 
neath, and forms a tangled barrier which checks both 
dogs and rnan. With tough gaiters to guard the shins, 
we break through by main force and weight, and the 
dogs scramble sometimes over, sometimes under the 
surface. At this period the elk are in great numbers, 
as they feed with great avidity upon the succulent 
young nillho. The dogs are now at a disadvantage. 
While they are scrambling with difficulty through this 
mass of half-rotten sticks, the elk bounds over it with 
ease, leaving no path behind him, as he clears it by 
leaps, and does not exhaust himself by bursting through 
it. He now constantly escapes, and leaves the pack 
miles behind ; the best hounds follow him, but with 
such a start he leads them into the unknown depths of 
the jungles, over high mountains and across deep 
ravines, from which the lost dogs frequently never 
return. 

There can be no question that it is a bad country for 
hunting at all times, as the mass of forest is so dispro- 
portionate to the patinas ; but, on the other hand, 
were the forests of smaller size there would be less 
game. Elk-hunting is, on the whole, fine sport. There 
are many disappointments constantly occurring, but 
these must happen in all sports. The only important 
drawback to the pleasure of elk-hunting is the constant 
loss of the dogs. The best are always sure to go. 
What with deaths by boars, leopards, elk, and stray 



232 The Rifle and Houitd hi Ceylon. 

hounds, the pack is with difficulty maintained. Pup- 
pies are constantly lost in the commencement of their 
training by straying too far into the jungle, and some- 
times by reckless valor. I lost a fine young grayhound, 
Lancer, own brother to Lucifer, in this way. It was 
his first day with the pack. 

We found a buck who came to bay in a deep rocky 
torrent, where the dogs had no chance with him, and 
he amused himself by striking them under water at his 
pleasure. He at length took his stand among some 
large rocks, between which the torrent rushed with great 
rapidity previous to its descent over a fall of sixty feet. 

In this impregnable position young Lancer chose to 
distinguish himself, and with a beautiful spring he flew 
straight at the buck's head ; but the elk met him with a 
tremendous blow with the fore feet, which broke his 
back, and the unfortunate Lancer was killed in his first 
essay and swept over the waterfall. This buck was at 
bay for two hours before he was killed. 

A veteran seizer is generally seamed with innumer- 
able scars. Poor old Bran, who, being a thoroughbred 
grayhound, is too fine in the skin for such rough hunt- 
ing, has been sewn up in so many places that he is a 
complete specimen of needlework. If any dog is hurt 
in a fight with elk or boar, it is sure to be old Bran- 
He has now a scar from a wound that was seven inches 
in length, which he received from a buck whose horns^ 
are hanging over my door. 

I had started with the pack at daybreak, and I was- 
riding down the Badulla road, about a mile from the 
kennel, when the whole pack suddenly took up a scent 
oft' the road, and dashed into the jungle in full cry. 
The road was enclosed by forest on either side. The- 



Bran Wounded. 233 

pack had evidently divided upon tw^o elk, as they were 
running in different directions. 

Starting off down the pass, I soon reached the steep 
patinas, and I heard the pack coming down through 
the jungle which crowns the hills on the left of the road. 
There was a crash in the underwood, and the next mo- 
ment a fine buck broke cover and went away along the 
hillside. Merriman and Tiptoe were the two leading 
dogs, and they were not fifty yards behind him. Old 
Smut came tearing along after them, and I gave Bran 
a holloa and slipped him immediately. It was a beau- 
tiful sight to see Bran fly along the patina : across the 
swampy bottom, taking the broad stream in one bound, 
and skimming up the hill, he was on the buck's path in 
a few minutes, pulling up to him at every stride. He 
passed the few dogs that were in chase like lightning, 
and in a few more bounds he was at the buck's side. 
With a dextrous blow, however, the buck struck him 
with his fore foot, and sent him rolling down the hill 
with a frightful gash in his side. The buck imme- 
diately descended the hillside, and came to bay in a 
deep pool in the river. Regardless of his wound, old 
Bran followed him ; Smut and the other dogs joined, 
and there was a fine bay, the buck fighting like a hero. 
The dogs could not touch him, as he was particularly 
active with his antlers. 

I jumped into the water and gave them a cheer, on 
which the buck answered immediately by charging at 
me. I met him with the point of my hunting-knife in 
the nose, which stopped him, and in the same moment 
old Smut was hanging on his ear, having pinned him 
the instant that I had occupied his attention. Bran had 
the other ear just as I had given the fatal thrust. In a 
20* 



234 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

few seconds the struggle was over. Bran's wound was 
four inches wide and seven inches long. 

My brother had a pretty run with the doe with the 
other half of the pack, and we returned home by eight 
A. M., having killed two elk. 

Daybreak is the proper time to be upon the ground 
for elk-hunting. At this hour they have only just re- 
tired to the jungle after their night's wandering on the 
patinas, and the hounds take up a fresh scent, and save 
the huntsman the trouble of entering the jungle. At a 
later hour the elk have retired so far into the jungle that 
much time is lost in finding them, and they are not so 
likely to break cover as when they are just on the edge 
of the forest. I had overslept myself one morning when 
I ought to have been particularly early, as we intended 
to hunt at the Matturatta plains, a distance of six miles. 
The scent was bad and the sun was excessively hot ; 
the dogs were tired and languid. It was two o'clock 
p. M. and we had not found, and we were returning 
through the forest homeward, having made up our 
minds for a blank day. 

Suddenly I thought I heard a deep voice at a great 
distance ; it might have been fancy, but I listened again. 
I counted the dogs, and old Smut was missing. There 
was no mistaking his voice wdien at bay, and I now 
heard him distinctly in the distance. Running toward 
the sound through fine open forests, we soon arrived 
on the Matturatta plains. The whole pack now heard 
the old dog distinctly, and they rushed to the sound 
across the patinas. There was Smut, sure enough, with 
a fine buck at ba}^ in the river, which he had found and 
brought to bay single-handed. 

"^he instant that the pack joined him the buck broke 



Old Smut's Buck. 235 

his bay, and, leaping up the bank, he gave a beautiful 
run over the patinas, with the w^hole pack after him, 
and Bran a hundred paces in advance of the other dogs, 
pulling up to him with murderous intent. Just as I 
thought that Bran would have him, a sudden kick 
threw the dog over, but he quickly recovered himself, 
and again came to the front, and this time he seized the 
buck by the ear, but, this giving way, lost his hold and 
again was kicked over. This had checked the elk's 
speed for some seconds, and the other dogs were fast 
closing up, seeing which the buck immediately altered 
his course for the river, and took to water in a deep 
pool. Down came old Smut after him, and in a few 
moments there was a beautiful chorus, as the whole 
pack had him at bay. 

The river went through a deep gorge, and I was 
obliged to sit down and slide for about thirty yards, 
checking a too rapid descent b}* holding on to the rank 
grass. On arriving at the river, I could at first see 
nothing for the high grass and bushes which grew upon 
the bank, but the din of the bay was just below me. 
Sliding through the tangled underwood, I dropped into 
deep water, and found myself swimming about with 
the buck and dogs around me. Smut and Bran had 
him by the ears, and a thrust with the knife finished 
him. 

However great the excitement may be during the ac- 
tual hunting, there is a degree of monotony in the recital 
of so many scenes of the same character that may be 
fatiguing : I shall therefore close the description of 
these mountain sports with the death of the old hero 
Smut, and the loss of the best hound, Merriman, both 
of whom have left a blank in the pack not easily filled. 



236 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

On the 1 6th of October, 1852, I started with a very 
short pack. Lucifer was left in the kennel lame ; Lena 
was at home with her pups ; and several other dogs 
were sick. Smut and Bran were the only two seizers 
out that day, and, being short-handed, I determined to 
hunt in the more green country at the foot of Hackgalla 
mountain. 

My brother and I had entered the jungle with the 
dogs, and before we had proceeded a hundred yards we 
heard a fierce bay, every dog having joined. The baj'" 
was not a quarter of a mile distant, and we wxre puz- 
zled as to the character of the game : whatever it was, 
it had stood to bay without a run. Returning to the 
patina, in which position we could distinctly assure 
ourselves of the direction, we heard the bay broken, 
and a slow run commenced. The next instant Bran 
came hobbling out of the jungle covered with blood, 
which streamed from a frightful gash in his hind quar- 
ters. There was no more doubt remaining as to the 
game at bay ; it was an enormous boar. 

Bran was completely hors de combat; and Smut, 
having lost nearly all his teeth, was of no use single- 
handed with such an enemy. We had no seizers to 
depend upon, and the boar again stood to bay in a thick 
jungle. 

I happened to have a rifle with me that morning, as 
I had noticed fresh elephant-tracks in the neighborhood 
a few days previous, and, hoping to be able to shoot 
the boar, we entered the jungle and approached the 
scene of the bay. 

When within twenty paces of the spot I heard his 
fierce grunting as he charged right and left into the bay- 
ing pack. In vain I cheered them on. I heard no signs 



Boar at Hackgalla. 237 

ol his being seized, but the fierce barking of old Smut, 
mingled with the savage grunts of the boar, and the oc- 
casional cry of a wounded dog, explained the hopeless 
nature of the contest. Again I cheered them on, and 
suddenly Smut came up to me from the fight, which 
was now not ten paces distant, but perfectly concealed 
in thick bamboo underwood. The old dog was cov- 
ered with blood, his back was bristled up, and his deep 
growl betokened his hopeless rage. Poor old dog ! he 
had his death-wound. He seemed cut nearly in half; 
a wound fourteen inches in length from the lower part 
of the belly passed up his flank, completely severing the 
muscle of the hind leg, and extending up to the spine. 
His hind leg had the appearance of being nearly off*, 
and he dragged it after him in its powerless state, and, 
with a fierce bark, he rushed upon three legs once more 
to the fight. Advancing to within six feet of the boar, 
I could not even see him, both he and the dogs were so 
perfectly concealed by the thick underwood. Suddenly 
the boar charged. I jumped upon a small rock and 
hoped for a shot, but, although he came within three 
feet of the rifle, I could neither see him nor could he 
see me. Had it not been for the fear of killing the 
dogs, I would have fired where the bushes were moving, 
but as it was I could do nothing. A rifle was useless 
in such jungle. At length the boar broke his bay, but 
again resumed it in a similar secure position. There 
was no possibility of assisting the dogs, and he was cut- 
ting up the pack in detail. If Lucifer and Lena had 
been there, we could have killed him, but without 
seizers we were helpless in such jungle. 

This lasted for an hour, at the expiration of which 
we managed to call the dogs oft^. Old Smut had stuck 



23S The Rifle and Hound i?t Ceylon, 

to him to the last, in despite of his disabled state. The 
old dog, perfectly exhausted, crawled out of the jungle : 
he had received several additional v^ounds, including a 
severe gash in his throat. He fell from exhaustion, and 
we made a litter with two poles and a horsecloth to 
carry him home. Bran, Merriman and Ploughboy 
were all severely wounded. We were thoroughly 
beaten. It was the first time that we had ever been 
beaten off, and I trust it may be the last. We returned 
home with our vanquished and bleeding pack — Smut 
borne in his litter by four men — and we arrived at the 
kennel a melancholy procession. The pack was dis- 
abled for weeks, as the two leading hounds, Merriman 
and Ploughboy, were severely injured. 

Poor old Smut lingered for a few days and died. 
Thus closed his glorious career of sport, and he left a 
fame behind him which will never be forgotten. His 
son, who is now twelve months old, is the facsimile of 
his sire, and often recalls the recollection of the old dog. 
I hope he may turn out as good.* 

Misfortunes never come alone. A few weeks after 
Smut's death, Lizzie, an excellent bitch, was killed by 
a leopard, who wounded Merriman in the throat, but 
he being a powerful dog beat him off and escaped. 
Merriman had not long recovered from his wound when 
he came to a lamentable and most diabolical end. 

On the 24th of December, 1852, we found a buck in 
the jungles by the Badulla road. The dead nillho so 
retarded the pack that the elk got a long start of the 
dogs, and stealing down a stream he broke cover, 
crossed the Badulla road, ascended the opposite hills, 
and took to the jungle before a single hound appeared 
* Killed four month afterward by a buck elk. 



Scenery of the Pei'eivelle Moi4,ntains. 239 

upon the patina. At length Merriman came bounding 
alon'g upon his track, full a hundred yards in advance 
of the pack. In a few minutes every dog had disap- 
peared in the opposite jungle on the elk's path. 

This was a part of the country where we invariably 
lost the dogs, as they took away across a vast jungle 
country toward a large and rapid river situated among 
stupendous precipices. I had often endeavored to find 
the dogs in this part, but to no purpose ; this day, how- 
ever, I was determined to follow them if possible. I 
made a circuit of twenty miles down into the low coun- 
tries, and again ascending through precipitous jungles, 
I returned home in the evening, having only recovered 
two dogs, which I found on the other side of the range 
of mountains over which the buck had passed. No 
pen can describe the beauty of the scenery in this part 
of the country, but it is the most frightful locality for 
hunting that can be imagined. The high lands sud- 
denly cease ; a splendid panoramic view of the low 
country extends for thirty miles before the eye ; but to 
descend to this precipices of immense depth must be 
passed ; and from a deep gorge in the mountain the 
large river, after a succession of falls, leaps in one vast 
plunge of three hundred feet into the abyss below. 
This is a stupendous cataract, about a mile below the 
foot of which is the village of Perevvelle. I passed 
close to the village, and, having ascended the steep 
sides of the mountain, I spent hours in searching for 
the pack, but the roaring of the river and the din of the 
waterfalls would have drowned the cry of a hundred 
hounds. Once, and only once, when halfway up the 
side of the mountain, I thought I heard the deep bay 
of a hound in the river below : then I heard the shout 



240 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

of a native ; but the sound was not repeated, and I 
thought it might proceed from the villagers driving 
their buffaloes. I passed on my arduous path, little 
thinking of the tragic fate which at that moment at- 
tended poor Merriman. 

The next day all the dogs found their way home to 
the kennel with the exception of Merriman. I was 
rather anxious at his absence, as he knew the whole 
country so thoroughly that he should have been one of 
the first dogs to return. I was convinced that the buck 
had been at bay in the large river, as I had seen his 
tracks in several places on the banks with dog tracks in 
company ; this, added to the fact of the two stray dogs 
being found in the vicinity, convinced me that they had 
brought the elk to bay in the river, in which I imagined 
he had beaten the dogs off. Two or three days passed 
away without Merriman's return, and, knowing him to 
be the leading hound of the pack, I made up my mind 
that he had been washed down a waterfall and killed. 

About a week after this had happened a native came 
up from the low country with the intelligence that the 
dogs had brought the buck to bay in the river close to 
the village of Perewell^, and that the natives had killed 
the elk and driven the dogs away. The remaining por- 
tion of this man's story filled me with rage and horror. 
Merriman would not leave the body of the elk : the 
natives thought that the dog might be discovered in 
their village, which would lead to the detection of the 
theft of the elk ; they, therefore, tied this beautiful 
iiound to a tree, knocked his brains out with a hatchet^ 
and threw his body into the river. This dog was a 
favorite with every one who knew the pack. The 
very instant that I heard the intelligence I took a good 



A Glorious Satisfaction, 24 t 

stick, and, in company with my brother, three friends, 
ftnd my informant, we started to revenge Merriman. 
Perewell6 is twelve miles from my house across coun- 
try : it was six p.m. when we started, and we arrived at 
a village within two miles of this nest of villains at half- 
past eight. Here we got further information, and a 
man who volunteered to point out three men who were 
the principal actors in murdering the dog. We slept 
at this village, and, rising at four o'clock on the follow- 
ing morning, we marched toward Perewelle to surprise 
the village and capture the offenders. 

It was bright moonlight, and we arrived at the village 
just at break of day. The house was pointed out in 
which the villains lived, and we immediately sur- 
rounded it, and upon entering we seized the offenders. 
Upon searching the house we found a quantity 
of dried venison, a spear and an axe, covered with 
blood, with which they had destroyed the unfortunate 
dog. 

A glorious satisfaction is the law of might ! At every 
blow I thought of the dog's death, and we thrashed them 
till we dared not go much farther. The whole village, 
which comprised nearly a hundred persons, took to 
flight, according to their usual cowardly nature. The 
captured wretches declared their innocence, and they 
lay down pretending to be at the point of death. Tak- 
ing a fine gutta percha whip, I flogged them till they 
revived again ; and we forced them to lead the way 
and point out the very spot of the elk's death. They 
would not confess the dog's murder, although it was 
proved against them. 

It was a frightful spot, about two hundred paces 
below the foot of the great fall. The river, swollen by 
21 Q 



242 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 

the late ram, boiled, and strove with the opposite rocks, 
lashing itself into foam, and roaring down countless 
cataracts, which, though well worthy of the name, sank 
into insignificance before the mighty fall which fed 
them. High above our heads reared the rocky preci- 
pice of a thousand feet in height, the grassy mountains 
capped with forest, and I could distinguish the very 
spot from which I had heard the shouts of men on the 
day of Merriman's death. Had I only known what 
was taking place below, I might perhaps have been in 
time to save the dog. 

We found the blood and remains of the offal of the 
buck, but we, of course, saw no remains of the dog, as 
the power of the torrent must soon have dashed him to 
atoms against the rocks. 

Thus ended poor Merriman : a better hound could 
not have lived, and his murderers should have been 
hanged. Unfortunately, Ceylon laws are often admin- 
istered by persons whp have never received a legal edu- 
cation, and these wretches escaped without further pun- 
ishment than the thrashing they had received. Of this, 
however they had a full dose, which was a sweet sauce 
to their venison w^hich they little anticipated. 

The few descriptions that I have given of elk-hunting 
should introduce a stranger thoroughly to the sport. No 
one, however, can enjoy it with as much interest as the 
owner of the hounds ; he knows the character of every 
dog in the pack — every voice is familiar to his ear ; he 
cheers them to the attack ; he caresses them for their 
courage ; they depend upon him for assistance in the 
struggle, and they mutually succor each other. This 
renders the dog a more cherished companion than he is 
considered in England, where his qualities are not of so 



Reference to my yournal. 243 

important a nature ; and it makes the loss of a good 
hound more deeply felt by his master. 

Having thus described the general character of Cey- 
lon sports in all branches, I chall conclude by a detailed 
journal of one trip of a few weeks in the low country, 
which will at once explain the whole minutiae of the 
shooting in the island. This journal is taken from a small 
diary which has frequently accompanied me on these ex- 
cursions, containing little memoranda which, by many, 
might be considered tedious. The daily account of the 
various incidents of a trip will, at all events, give a 
faithful picture of the jungle sports. 




CHAPTER XII. 

A Jungle Trip. 

ON the 1 6th of November, 1851, I started from 
Kandy, accompanied by my brother, Lieutenant 
V. Baker, then of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment. Having 
sent on our horses from Newera EUia sonme days pre- 
vious, as far as Matille, sixteen miles from Kandy, we 
drove there early in the morning, and breakfasted with 
F. Layard, Esq., who was then assistant government 
agent. It had rained without ceasing during twenty- 
four hours, and, hoping that the weather might change, 
we waited at Matille till two o'clock p. m. The rain 
still poured in torrents, and, giving up all ideas of fine 
weather, we started. 

The horses were brought round, and old Jack knew 
as well as I did that he was starting for a trip, as the 
tether rope was wound round his neck and the horse- 
cloth was under his saddle. The old horse was sleek 
and in fine condition for a journey, and, without further 
loss of time, we started for Dambool, a distance of 
thirty-one miles. Not wishing to be benighted, we can 
tered the whole way, and completed the distance in 
three hours and a half, as we arrived at Dambool at 
half-past five p. m. 

I had started off' Wallace and all the coolies from 
244 



A Jungle Trip. 245 

N^wera EUia about a week beforehand ; and, having 
instructed him to leave a small box with a change of 
clothes at the Dambool rest-house, I now felt the bene- 
fit of the arrangement. The horsekeepers could not 
possibly arrive that night. We therefore cleaned and 
fed our own horses, and littered them down with a good 
bed of paddy straw ; and, that being completed, we 
turned our attention to curry and rice. 

The next morning at break of day, we fed the horses. 
Old Jack was as fresh as a daisy. The morning was 
delightfully cloudy, but free from rain ; and we cantered 
on to Innamalow, five miles from Dambool. Here we 
procured a guide to Minneria ; and turning off from the 
main road into a narrow jungle path, we rode for 
twenty miles through dense jungle. Passing the rock 
of Sigiri, which was formerly used as a fort by the 
ancient inhabitants of the country, we gradually en- 
tered better jungle, and at length we emerged upon the 
beautiful plains of Minneria. I had ordered Wallace 
to pitch the encampment in the exact spot which I had 
frequently occupied some years ago. I therefore knew 
the rendezvous, and directed my course accordingly. 

What a change had taken place ! a continuous drought 
had reduced the lake from its original size of twenty-two 
miles in circumference, to a mere pool of about four 
miles in circuit ; this was all that remained of the noble 
sheet of water around which I had formerly enjoyed so 
much sport. 

From the rich bed of the dry lake sprung a fine silky 
grass of about two feet in height, forming a level plain 
of velvet green far as the eye could reach. The turf 
was firm and elastic; the four o'clock sun had laid 
aside the fiercest of his rays, and threw a gentle glow 
31* 



2^.6 71ie Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

over the scene, which reminded me of an English mid- 
summer evening. 

There is so little ground in Ceylon upon which a 
horse can gallop without the risks of holes, bogs and 
rocks that we could not resist a canter upon such fine 
turf; and although the horses had made a long journey 
already, they seemed to enjoy a more rapid pace when 
they felt the inviting sward beneath their feet. Although 
every inch of this country had been familiar to me, I 
felt some difficulty in finding the way to the appointed 
spot, the scene was so changed by the disappearance of 
the water. 

There were fresh elephant tracks in many parts of 
the plain, and I was just anticipating good sport for the 
next day, when v^e suddenly heard an elephant trumpet 
in the open forest which we were skirting. The next 
instant I saw eight elephants among the large trees 
which bordered the forest. For the moment I thousfht 
it was a herd, but I almost immediately noticed the 
constrained and unnatural positions in which they were 
standing. They were all tied to different trees by the 
legs, and upon approaching the spot we found an en- 
campment of Arabs and Moormen who had been noos- 
ing elephants for sale. We at once saw that the coun- 
try was disturbed, as these people had been employed 
in catching elephants for some weeks. 

After a ride of seven or eight miles along the plain, 
I discovered a thin blue line of smoke rising from the 
edge of a distant forest, and shortly after I could dis- 
tinguish forms moving on the plain in the same direc- 
tion. Cantering toward the spot, we found ou*" coolies 
and encampment. The tents were pitched under some 
noble trees, which effectually excluded every ray of sun 



A jfungle Trip. 247 

It was the exact spot upon which I had been accus- 
tomed to encamp some years ago. The servants had 
received orders wdien they started from Kandy to have 
dinner prepared at five o'clock on the 17th November; 
it was accordingly ready on our arrival. 

Minneria was the appointed rendezvous from which 
this trip was to commence. Our party was to consist 
of the Honorable Stuart Wortley, E. Palliser, Esq., 
Lieutenant V. Baker, S. W. Baker. My brother had 
unfortunately only fourteen days' leave from his regi- 
ment, and he and I had accordingly hurried on a day in 
advance of our party, they having still some prepara- 
tions to complete in Kandy, and not being quite so well 
horsed for a quick journey. 

Nothing could be more comfortable than our arrange- 
ments. Our followers and establishment consisted of 
four personal servants, an excellent cook, four horse- 
keepers, fifty coolies and Wallace ; in all, sixty people. 
The coolies were all picked men, who gave not the 
slightest trouble during the wdiole trip. We had two 
tents, one of which contained four beds and a general 
dressing-table ; the other, which was my umbrella- 
shaped tent, was arranged as the dining-room, with 
table and chairs. With complete dinner and breakfast 
services for four persons, and abundance of table linen, 
we had everything that could be wished for. Although 
I can rough it if necessary, I do not pretend to prefer 
discomfort from choice. A little method and a trifling 
extra cost will make the jungle trip anything but un- 
comfortable. There was nothing w^anting in our sup- 
plies. We had sherry, madeira, brandy and curagoa, 
biscuits, tea, sugar, coftee, hams, tongues, sauces, pick- 
les, mustard, sardines en kuile, tins of soups and pre- 



248 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylo7Z. 

served meats and vegetables, currant jelly for venison, 
maccaroni, vermicelli, flour and a variety of other things 
that add to the comfort of the jungle, including last, but 
not least, a double supply of soap and candles. No one 
know^s the misery should either of these fail — dirt and 
darkness is the necessary consequence. 

There was a large stock of talipots* to form tents for 
the people and coverings for the horses in case of rain ; 
in fact, there never was a trip more happily planned or 
more comfortably arranged, and there was certainly 
never such a battery assembled in Ceylon as we now 
mustered. Snch guns deserve to be chronicled : 

Wortley i single barrel rifle. . . . ..3-ounce. 

" I double do. rifle No. 12. 

" 2 double do. guns No. 12. 

Palliser i single do. rifle No. 8 (my old 2-ounce). 

" I double do. rifle. ...... No. 12. 

" 2 double do. guns No. 12. 

V. Baker 3 double do. do No. 14. 

" I double do. do No. 12. 

** I single do. rifle No. 14. 

S. W. Baker 1 single do. rifle ... .4-ounce. 

" ♦ • . • 3 double do. rifles No. 10. 

" .... I double do. gun No. 16. 

18 guns. 

These guns were all by the first makers, and we took 
possession of our hunting country with the confidence 
of a good bag, provided that game was abundant. 

But hov/ changed was this country since I had visited 
it in former years, not 'only in appearance but in the 
quantity of game ! 

On these plains, where in times past I had so often 
counted immense herds of wild buffaloes, no< one wag 
* Large leaves from the talipot tree^ 



A yungle Trip. 249 

now to be seen. .The deer were scared and in small 
herds, not exceeding seven or ten, proving how the}' 
had been thinned out by shooting. In fact, Minneria 
had become within the last four years a focus for most 
sportsmen, and the consequence was that the country 
was spoiled ; not by the individual shooting of visitors, 
but by the stupid practice of giving the natives large 
quantities of powder and ball as a present at the con- 
clusion of a trip. They, of course, being thus supplied 
with ammunition, shot the deer and buffaloes without 
intermission, and drive them from the country by inces- 
sant harassing. 

I saw immediately that we could not expect much 
sport in this disturbed part of the country, and we de- 
termined to waste no more time in this sport than 
would be necessary in procuring the elephant-trackers 
from Doolana. We planned our campaign that evening 
at dinner. 

Nov. 18. — At daybreak I started Wallace off to Doo- 
lana to bring my old acquaintance the Rhatamahatmeya 
and the Moormen trackers. I felt confident that I could 
prevail upon him to accompany us to the limits of his 
district ; this was all-important to our chance of sport, 
as without him we could procure no assistance from 
the natives. 

After breakfast we mounted our horses and rode to 
Cowdelle, eight miles, as I expected to find elephants 
in this open but secluded part of the country. There 
were very fresh tracks of a herd, and as we expected 
Wortley and Palliser on the following day, we would 
not distin-b the country, but returned to Minneria and 
passed the afternoon in shooting snipe and crocodiles. 
The latter were in incredible numbers, as the whole 



350 l^he Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

population of this usually extensive lake was now con 
densed in the comparatively small extent of water be- 
fore us. The fish of course were equally numerous, 
and we had an unlimited supply of '^ lola " of three to 
four pounds weight at a penny each. Our gang of 
coolies feasted upon them in immense quantities, and 
kept a native fully employed in catching them. Our 
cook exerted his powers in producing some -piquante 
dishes with these fish. Stewed with melted butter 
(ghee), with anchovy sauce, madeira, sliced onion and 
green chilies, this was a dish worthy of " Soyer," but 
they were excellent in all shapes, even if plain boiled or 
fried. 

Nov. 19. — At about four p. m. I scanned the plain 
with my telescope, in expectation of the arrival of our 
companions, whom I discovered in the distance, and as 
they approached within hearing, we greeted them with 
a shout of welcome to show the direction of our en- 
campment. We were a merry party that evening at 
dinner, and we determined to visit Cowdelle, and track 
up the herd that we had discovered, directly that the 
Moormen trackers should arrive from Doolana. 

The worst of this country was the swarm of mosqui- 
toes which fed upon us at night ; it was impossible to 
sleep with the least degree of comfort, and we always 
hailed the arrival of morning with delight. 

Nov. 20. — At dawn this morning, before daylight 
could be called complete, Palliser had happened to 
look out from the tent, and to his surprise he saw a 
rogue elephant just retreating to the jungle, at about 
two hundred yards distance. We loaded the guns and 
went after him in as short a time as possible, but he 
was too quick for us, and he had retreated to thick jun- 



A Jungle Trip. 351 

gle before we were out. Wortley and I then strolled 
along the edge of the jungle, hoping to find him again 
in some of the numerous nooks which the plain formed 
by running ujd the forest. We had walked quietly 
along for about half a mile, when we crossed an abrupt 
rocky promontory, which stretched from the jungle into 
the lake like a ruined pier. On the other side the lake 
formed a small bay, shaded by the forest, which was 
separated from the water's edge by a gentle slope of 
turf about fifty yards in width. This bay was a shel- 
tered spot, and as we crossed the rocky promontory, 
the noise that we made over the loose stones in turn- 
ing the corner, disturbed a herd of six deer, five of 
whom dashed into the jungle ; the sixth stopped for a 
moment at the edge of the forest to take a parting look 
at us. He was the buck of the herd, and carried a 
noble pair of antlers ; he was about a hundred and 
twenty yards from us, and I took a quick shot at him 
with one of the No. 10 rifles. The brushwood closed 
over him as he bounded into the jungle, but an ominous 
crack sounded back from the ball, which made me think 
he was hit. At this moment Palliser and V. Baker 
cange running up, thinking that we had found the ele- 
phant. 

The buck was standing upon some snow-white quartz 
rocks when I fired, and upon an examination of the 
spot, frothy patches of blood showed that he was struck 
through the lungs. Men are bloodthirsty animals, for 
nothing can exceed the pleasure, after making a long 
shot, of finding the blood track on the spot when the 
animal is gone. We soon tracked him up, and found 
him lying dead in the jungle within twenty yards of the 
spot. This buck was the first head of game we had 



252 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, ~ . 

bagged, with the exception of a young elk that I had 
shot on horseback during the ride from Dambool. We 
had plenty of snipe, and, what with fish, wildfowl and 
venison, our breakfast began to . assume an inviting 
character. After breakfast we shot a few couple of 
snipe upon the plain, and in the evening we formed 
two parties — Palliser and V. Baker and Wortley and 
myself — and taking different directions, we scoured the 
country, agreeing to meet at the tent at dusk. 

W. and I saw nothing beyond the fresh tracks of 
game which evidently came out only at night. We 
wandered about till evening, and then returned toward 
the tent. On the way there I tried a long shot at a 
heron with a rifle ; he was standing at about a hundred 
and fifty yards from us, and by great good luck I killed 
him. 

On arrival at the tent we found P. and V. B., who 
had returned. They had been more fortunate in their 
line of country, having found two rogue elephants — one 
in thick jungle, which V. B. fired at and missed ; and 
shortly after this shot, they found another rogue on the 
plain not far from the tent. The sun was nearly set- 
ting, and shone well in the elephant's eyes ; thus they 
were able to creep pretty close to him without being 
observed, and P. killed him by a good shot with a rifle, 
at about twenty-five yards. In my opinion, this was 
the same elephant that had been seen near the tent 
early in the morning. 

Wallace, with the Rhatamahatmeya and the trackers, 
had arrived, and we resolved to start for Cowdelle at 
daybreak on the following morning. 

Nov. 21. — Having made our preparations over night 
for an early start, we were off at daybreak, carrying 



A Jungle Trip. 253 

with us the cook with his utensils, and the canteen con 
taining everything that could be required for breakfast. 
We were thus prepared for a long day's work, should 
it be necessary. 

After a ride of about eight miles along a sandy path, 
bordered by dense jungle, we arrived at the open 
but marshy ground upon which we had seen the tracks 
of the herd a few days previous. Fresh elephant tracks 
had accompanied us the whole way along our path, and 
a herd was evidently somewhere in the vicinity, as the 
path was obstructed in many places by the branches of 
trees upon which they had been feeding during the 
night. The sandy ground was likewise printed with 
innumerable tracks of elk, deer, hogs and leopards. 
We halted under some widespreading trees, beneath 
which a clear stream of water rippled over a bed of 
white pebbles, with banks of fine green sward. In this 
spot were unmistakable tracks of elephants where they 
had been recently drinking. The country was park- 
like, but surrounded upon its borders with thick jun- 
gles ; clumps of thorny bushes were scattered here and 
there, and an abundance of good grass and water en- 
sured a large quantity of game. The elephants were 
evidently not far off, and of course were well secured 
in the thorny jungles. 

Wortley had never yet seen a wild elephant, and a 
dense jungle is by no means a desirable place for an 
introduction to this kind of game. It is a rule of mine 
never to follow elephants in such ground, where they 
generally have it all their own way ; but, as there are 
exceptions to all rules, we determined to find them, 
after having taken so much trouble in making our ar- 
rangements. 
22 



254 The Rijie and Hound in Ceylon. 

We unsaddled, and ordered breakfast to be ready for 
our return beneath one of the most shady trees, and 
having loaded, we started off upon the tracks. As I 
had expected, they led to a thick thornj' jungle, and 
slowly and cautiously we followed the leading tracker. 
The jungle became worse and worse as we advanced, 
andhad it not been for the path which the elephants 
had formed, we could not have moved an inch. The 
leaves of the bushes were wet with dew, and we were 
obliged to cover up all the gun-locks to prevent any of 
them missing fire. We crept for about a quarter of a 
mile upon this track, when the sudden • snapping of a 
branch a hundred paces in advance plainly showed 
that we were up with the game. 

This is the exciting moment in elephant-shooting, 
and every breath is held for a second intimation of the 
exact position of the herd. A deep, guttural sound, 
like the rolling of very distant thunder, is heard, accom- 
panied by the rustling and cracking of the branches as 
they rub their tough sides against the trees. Our ad- 
vance had been so stealthy that they were perfectly un- 
disturbed. Silently and carefully we crept up, and in a 
few minutes I distinguished two immense heads ex- 
actly facing us at about ten paces distant. Three more 
indistinct forms loomed in the thick bushes just behind 
the leaders. 

A quiet whisper to Wortley to take a cool shot at 
the left-hand elephant, in the exact centre of the fore- 
head, and down went the two leaders, Wortley's and 
mine ; quickly we ran into the herd, before they knew 
what had happened, and down went another to V. 
Baker's shot. The smoke hung in such thick volumes 
that we could hardly see two yards before us, when 



A Jzmgle Trip. 255 

straight Into the cloud of smoke an elephant rushed 
toward us. V. Baker fired, but missed ; and my left-hand 
barrel extinguished him. Running through the smoke 
with a spare rifle I killed the last elephant. They were 
all bagged— five elephants within thirty seconds from 
the first shot fired. Wortley had commenced well, hav- 
ing killed his first elephant with one shot. 

We found breakfast ready on our return to the horses, 
and having disturbed this part of the country by the 
heavy volley at the herd, we returned to Minneria. 

I was convinced that we could expect no sport in 
this neighborhood ; we therefore held a consultation as 
to our line of countrj^ 

Some years ago I had entered the north of the Ved- 
dah country from this point, and I now proposed that 
we should start upon a trip of discovery, and endeavor 
to penetrate from the north to the south of the Veddah 
country into the " Pa;k." No person had ever shot 
over this route, and the wildness of the idea only in- 
creased the pleasure of the trip. We had not the least 
idea of the distance, but we knew the direction by a 
pocket compass. 

There was but one objection to the plan, and this 
hinged upon the shortness of V. Baker's leave. He 
had only ten days unexpired, and it seemed rash, with 
so short a term, to plunge into an unknown country ; 
however, he was determined to push on, as he trusted 
in the powers of an extraordinary pony that would do 
any distance on a push. This determination, however, 
destroyed a portion of the trip, as we were obliged to 
push quickly through a lovely sporting country, to ar- 
rive at a civilized, or rather an acknowledged, line of 
road by which he could return to Kandy. Had we, on 



256 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

the contrary, traveled easily through this country, we 
should have killed an extraordinary amount of game. 

We agreed that our route should be this. We were 
to enter the Veddah country at the north and strike 
down to the south. I knew a bridle-path from BaduUa 
to Batticaloa, which cut through the Veddah country 
from west to east ; therefore we should meet it at right 
angles. From this point V. Baker was to bid adieu, 
and turn to the west and reach Badulla, from thence to 
Newera Ellia and to his regiment in Kandy. We 
were to continue our direction southward, which I 
knew would eventually bring us to the Park. 

Nov. 22. — -We moved our encampment, accompanied 
by the headman and his followers, and after a ride of 
fourteen miles we arrived at the country of Hengiri- 
watdowane, a park-like spot of about twelve square 
miles, at which place we were led to expect great sport. 
The appearance of the ground was all that we could 
wish ; numerous patches of jungle and single trees were 
dotted upon the surface of fine turf. 

In the afternoon, after a cooling shower, we all sepa- 
rated, and started with our respective gun-bearers in 
different directions, with the understanding that no one 
was to fire a shot at any game but elephants. We were 
to meet in the evening and describe the different parts 
of the country, so that we should know how to proceed 
on the following day. 

I came upon herds of deer in several places, but I of 
course did not fire, although they were within a cer- 
tain shot. I saw no elephants. 

Every one saw plenty of deer, but V. Baker was the 
only lucky individual in meeting with elephants. He 
came upon a fine herd, but they winded him and 



A jfungle Trip. 257 

escaped. There was evidently plenty of game, but V. 
B. having fired at the elephants, we knew that this part 
of the country was disturbed ; we therefore had no 
hesitation in discharging all the guns and having them 
well cleaned for the next morning, when we proposed 
to move the tent a couple of miles farther off. 

JVov. 23. — A most unfortunate day, proving the dis- 
advantage of being ignorant of the ground. Although 
I knew the whole country by one route, from Minneria 
to the north of the Veddah country, we had now di- 
verged from that route to visit this particular spot, 
which I had never before shot over. We passed on 
tnrough beautiful open country interspersed with clumps 
of jungle, but without one large tree that would shade 
the tent. 

A single roofed tent exposed to the sun is perfectly 
unbearable, and we continued to push on in the hope 
of finding a tree of sufficient size to afford shelter. 

Some miles were passed ; fresh tracks of elephants 
and all kinds of game were very numerous, and the 
country was perfection for shooting. 

At length the open plains became more protracted, 
and the patches of jungle larger and more frequent. 
By degrees the open ground ceased altogether, and we 
found ourselves in a narrow path of deep mud passing 
through impenetrable thorny jungle. Nevertheless our 
guide insisted upon pushing on to a place which he 
compared to that which we had unfortunately left be- 
hind us. Instead of going two miles, as we had orig- 
inally intended, we had already ridden sixteen at the 
least, and still the headman persisted in pushing on. 
No coolies were up ; the tents and baggage were far 
behind ; we had nothing to eat ; we had left the fine 
22* R 



Z^S The Rifle and IIou7td in Ceylon. 

open country, which was full of game, miles behind 
us, and we were in a close jungle country, where a rifle 
was not worth a bodkin. It was too annoying. I voted 
for turning back to the lovely hunting-ground that we 
had deserted ; but after a long consultation we came to 
the conclusion that every day was of such importance 
to V. Baker that we could not afford to retrace a single 
step. 

Thus all this beautiful country, abounding with every 
kind of game, was actually passed over without firing a 
single shot. 

I killed a few couple of snipe in a neighboring svv^amp 
to pass the time until the coolies arrived with the bag- 
gage ; they were not up until four o'clock p.m., there- 
fore the whole day was wasted, and we were obliged to 
sleep here. 

Nov. 24. — This being Sunday, the guns were at rest. 
The whole of this country was dense chenar jungle ; 
we therefore pushed on, and, after a ride of fourteen 
miles, we arrived at the Rhatamahatmeya's residence 
at Doolana. He insisted upon our taking breakfast 
with him, and he accordingly commenced his prepara- 
tions. Borrowing one of our hunting-knives, two of 
his men gave chase to a kid and cut his head off. 
Half an hour afterward we were eating it in various 
forms, all of which were excellent. 

We had thus traveled over forty-four miles of country 
from Minneria without killing a single head of game. 
Had we remained a week in the country through which 
we had passed so rapidly, we must have had most ex- 
cellent sport. All this was the effect of being hurried 
for time. 

In the neighborhood of Doolana I had killed many 



A yungle Trip. 259 

elephants some years ago, and I have no doubt we 
could have had good sport at this time ; but V. Baker's 
leave was so fast expiring, and the natives' accounts of 
the distance through the Veddah country were so vague, 
that we had no choice except to push straight through 
as fast as we could travel, until we should arrive on the 
Batticaloa path. 

We took leave of our friend the Rhatamahatmeya ; 
he had provided us with good trackers, who were to 
accompany us through the Veddah country to the Park ; 
but I now began to have my doubts as to the knowledge 
of the ground. However we started, and after skirting 
the Doolana tank for some distance, we rode five miles 
through fine forest, and then arrived on the banks of the 
Mahawelle river. The stream was at this time very 
rapid, and was a quarter of a mile in width, rolling 
along between its steep banks through a forest of mag- 
nificent trees. Some hours were consumed in trans- 
porting the coolies and baggage across the river, as the 
canoe belonging to the village of Monampitya, on the 
opposite bank, would only hold four coolies and their 
loads at one voyage. 

We swam the horses across, and, attending carefully 
to the safety of the cook before any other individual, 
we breakfasted on the opposite bank, while the coolies 
were crossing the river. 

After breakfast, a grave question arose, viz.. Which 
way were we to go } The trackers that the headman 
had given us now confessed that they did not know an 
inch of the Veddah country into which we had arrived 
by crossing the river, and they refused to go a step far- 
ther. Here was a " regular fix !" as the Americans 
worJd express it. 



260 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

The village of Monampitya consists of about six small 
huts ; and we now found out that there was no other 
village within forty miles in the direction that we wished 
to steer. Not a soul could we obtain as a guide — no offer 
of reward would induce a man to start, as they declared 
that no one knew the country, and that the distance was 
so great that the peeple would be starved, as they could 
get nothing to eat. We looked hopelessly at the country 
before us. We had a compass, certainly, which might 
be useful enough on a desert or a prairie, but in a jun- 
gle country it was of little value. 

Just as we were in the greatest despair, and we were 
gazing wistfully in the direction which the needle 
pointed out as the position of the " Park," now sepa- 
rated from us by an untraveled district of an unknown 
distance, we saw two figures with bows and arrows 
coming from the jungle. One of these creatures bolted 
back again into the bushes the moment he perceived 
us ; the other one had a fish in his hand, of about four 
pounds weight, which he had shot with his bow and 
arrow, and, while he was hesitating whether he should 
run or stand still, we caught him. 

Gf all the ugly little devils I ever saw, he was super- 
lative. He squinted terribly ; his hair was grayish and 
matted with filth ; he was certainly not more than four 
feet and a half high, and he carried a bow two feet 
longer than himself. He could speak no language but 
his own, which throughout the Veddah country is much 
the same, intermixed with so many words resembling 
Cingalese that a native can generally understand their 
meaning. By proper management, and some little pres- 
ents of rice and tobacco, we got the animal into a good 
humor, and we gathered the following information : 



A yungle Trip» 26 ^ 

He knew nothing of any place except the northern 
portion of the Veddah country. This was his world ; 
but his knowledge of it was extremely limited, as he 
could not undertake to guide us further than Oomanoo, 
a Veddah village, which he described as three days' 
journey from where we then stood. We made him 
point out the direction in which it lay. This he did, 
after looking for some moments at the sun ; and, upon 
comparing the position with the compass, we were glad 
to see it at south-south-east, being pretty close to the 
course that we wished to steer. From Oomanoo, he 
said, we could procure another Veddah to guide us still 
farther ; but he himself knew nothing more. 

Now this was all satisfactory enough so far, but I 
had been completely wrong in my idea of the distance 
from Doolana to the " Park." We now heard of t/iree 
days' journey to Oomanoo, which was certainly some- 
where in the very centre of the Veddah country ; and 
our quaint little guide had never even heard of the Bat- 
ticaloa road. There was no doubt, therefore, that it 
was a long way from Oomanoo, which village might 
be any distance from us, as a Veddah's description of a 
day's journey might vary from ten to thirty miles. 

I certainly looked forward to a short allowance of 
food both for ourselves and coolies. We had been hur- 
rying though the country at such a rate that we had 
killed no deer ; we had, therefore, been living upon our 
tins of preserved provisions, of which we had now only 
four remaining. 

At the village of Monampitya there was no rice pro- 
curable, as the natives lived entirely upon korrakan,* 

* A small seed, which they make into hard, uneatable cakes. 



262 The Rifle and Mound in Ceylon, 

at which our coolies turned up their noses when I ad- 
vised them to lay in a stock before starting. 

There was no time to be lost, and we determined to 
push on as fast as the coolies could follow, as they had 
only two days' provisions ; we had precisely the same, 
and those could not be days of feasting. We were, in 
fact, like sailors going to sea with a ship only half vic- 
tualed ; and, as we followed our little guide, and lost 
sight of the village behind us, I foresaw that our stom- 
achs would suffer unless game was plentiful on the path. 

We passed through beautiful open country for about 
eight miles, during which we saw several herds of deer ; 
but we could not get a shot. At length we pitched the 
tent, at four o'clock p. M., at the foot of " Gunner's 
Coin," a solitary rocky mountain of about two thousand 
feet in height, which rises precipitously from the level 
country. We then divided into two parties — W. and 
P., and V. B. and I. We strolled off with our guns in 
different directions. 

The country was perfectly level, being a succession 
of glades of fine low grass divided into a thousand 
natural paddocks by belts of jungle. 

We were afraid to stroll more than a mile from the 
tent, lest we should lose our way ; and we took a good 
survey of the most prominent points of the mountain, 
that we might know our direction by their position. 

After an hour's walk, and just as the sun was setting, 
a sudden crash in a jungle a few yards from us brought 
the rifles upon full cock. The next moment, out came 
an elephant's head, and I knocked him over by a front 
shot. He had held his head in such a peculiar posi- 
tion that a ball could not reach the brain, and he im- 
mediately recovered himself, and, wheeling suddenly 



A Jufigle Trip. 363 

ruiind, he retreated into the jungle, through which we 
could not follow. 

We continued to stroll on from glade to glade, ex- 
pecting to find him ; and, in about a quarter of an hour, 
we heard the trumpet of an elephant. Fully convinced 
that this was the wounded animal, we pushed on toward 
the spot ; but, on turning a corner of the jungle, we 
came suddenly upon a herd of seven of the largest ele- 
phants that I ever saw together ; they must have been 
all bulls. Unfortunately, they had our wind, and, being 
close to the edge of a thick thorny jungle, they disap- 
peared like magic. We gave chase for a short dis- 
tance, but were soon stopped by the thorns. We had 
no chance with them. 

It was now dusk, and we therefore hastened toward 
the tent, seeing three herds of deer and one of hogs on 
our way ; but it was too dark to get a shot. The deer 
were basking in every direction, and the country was 
evidently alive with game. 

On arrival at the tent, we found that W. and P. had 
met with no better luck than ourselves. Two of our 
tins of provisions were consumed at dinner, leaving us 
only two remaining. Not a moment was to be lost in 
pushing forward ; and we determined upon a long 
march on the following day. 

Nov. 25. — Sunrise saw us in the saddles. The coolies, 
with the tents and baggage, kept close up with the 
horses, being afraid to lag behind, as there was not a 
semblance of a path, and we depended entirely upon 
our small guide, who appeared to have an intimate 
knowledge of the whole country. The little Veddah 
trotted along through the winding glades ; and we trav- 
eled for about five miles without a word being spoken 



264 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

by one of the party, as we were in hopes of coming 
upon deer. Unfortunately, we were traveling down 
wind ; we accordingly did not sec a single head of 
game, as they of course winded us long before we came 
in view. 

We had ridden about eight miles, when we suddenly 
came upon the fresh tracks of elephants, and, imme- 
diately dismounting, we began to track up. The ground 
being very dry, and the grass short and parched, the 
tracks were very indistinct, and it was tedious work. 
We had followed for about half a mile through alternate 
glades and belts of jungle, when we suddenly spied a 
Veddah hiding behind a tree about sixty 3^ards from us. 
The moment that he saw he w^as discovered he set off^ 
at full speed, but two of our coolies, who acted as gun- 
bearers, started after him. These fellows were splendid 
runners, and, after a fine course, they ran him down ; 
but when caught, instead of expressing any fear, he 
seemed to think it a good joke. He was a rather short, 
but stout-built fellow, and he was immediately recog- 
nized by our little guide as one of the best hunters 
among the Northern Veddahs. He soon understood 
our object ; and, putting down his bows and arrows 
and a little pipkin of sour curd (his sole provision on 
his hunting trip), he started at once upon the track. 

Without any exception he was the best tracker I have 
ever seen : although the ground was as hard as a stone, 
and the footprints constantly invisible, he went like a 
hound upon a scent at a pace that kept us in an occa- 
sional jog-trot. After half an hour's tracking, and 
doubling backward and forward in thick jungle, we 
came up with three elephants. V. B. killed one, and I 
killed another at the same moment. V. B. also fired a< 



A Jungle Trip, 265 

the third ; but, instead of falling, he rushed toward us, 
and I killed him with my remaining barrel, Palliser 
joining in the shot. They were all killed in about three 
seconds. The remaining portion of the herd were at a 
distance, and we heard them crashing through the thick 
jungle. We followed them for about a mile, but they 
had evidently gone off to some other country. The 
jungle was very thick, and we had a long journey to 
accomplish ; we therefore returned to the horses and 
rode on, our party being now increased by the Veddah 
tracker. 

After having ridden about twenty miles, the last eight 
of which had been through alternate forest and jungle, 
we arrived at a small plain of rich grass of about a hun- 
dred acres : this was surrounded by forest. Unfortu- 
nately, the nights were not moonlight, or we could have 
killed a deer, as they came out in immense herds just 
at dusk. We luckily bagged a good supply of snipe, 
upon which we dined, and we reserved our tins of meat 
for some more urgent occasion. 

Nov. 26. — All vestiges of open country had long 
ceased. We now rode for seventeen miles through 
magnificent forest, containing the most stupendous 
banian trees that I have ever beheld. The ebony trees 
were also very numerous, and grew to an immense 
size. This forest was perfectly open. There was not 
a sign of either underwood or grass beneath the trees, 
and no track was discernible beyond the notches in the 
trees made at some former time by the Veddah's axe. 
In one part of this forest a rocky mountain appeared at 
some period to have burst into fragments ; and for the 
distance of about a mile it formed the apparent ruins 
of a city of giants. Rocks as large as churches lay 

23 



266 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

piled one upon the other, forming long, dark alleys and 
caves that would have housed some hundreds of men. 

The effect was perfectly fairylike, as the faint silver 
light of the sun, mellowed by the screen of tree tops, 
half lighted up these silent caves. The giant stems of 
the trees sprang like tall columns from the foundations 
of the rocks and shadowed them with their dense foli- 
age. Two or three families of " Cyclops'* would not 
have been out of place in this spot ; they were just the 
class of people that one would expect to meet in such a 
place. 

Late in the afternoon we arrived at the long talked- 
of village of Oomanoo, about eighteen miles from our 
last encampment. It was a squalid, miserable place of 
course, and nothing was attainable. Our coolies had 
not tasted food since the preceding evening ; but, by 
good luck, we met a traveling Moorman, who had just 
arrived at the village with a little rice to exchange witli 
the Veddahs for dried venison. As the villagers did 
not happen to have any meat to barter, we purchased 
all the rice at an exorbitant price ; but it was only 
sufficient for half a meal for each servant and coolie, 
when equally divided. 

Fortunately, we killed four snipe and two doves ; 
these were added to our last two tins of provisions, 
which were " hotch potch," and stewed altogether. 
This made a good dinner. We had now nothing left 
but our biscuits and groceries. All our hams and pre- 
served meats were gone, and we only had one meal on 
that day. 

Nov. 27. — Our horses had eaten nothing but grass 
for many days ; this, however, was excellent, and old 
Jack looked fat, and was as hardy as ever. We now 



A yungle Trip, 267 

discharged our Veddah guides and took on others from 
Ooraanoo. These men told us that we were only four 
miles from the Batticaloa road, and with great glee we 
started at break of day, determined to breakfast on arri- 
val at the road. 

The old adage of " Many a slip 'twixt the cup and 
the lip "was here fully exemplified. Four miles ! We 
rode twenty-five miles without drawing the rein once ! 
and at length we then did reach the road ; that is to 
say, a narrow track of grass, which is the track to Bat- 
ticaloa for which we had been steering during our 
journey. A native hut in this wilderness rendered the 
place worthy of a name ; it is therefore known upon 
the government maps as " Pj^eley.'* 

From this place we were directed on to " Curhel- 
lylai," a village represented to us as a small London, 
abounding with every luxury. We obtained a guide 
and started, as they assured us it was only two miles 
distant. 

After riding three miles through a country of open 
glades and thick jungle, the same guide who had at 
first told us it was two miles from " Pyeley," now said 
it was only " three miles farther on.'" We knew these 
fellows' ideas of distance too well to proceed any farther. 
We had quitted the Batticaloa track, and we immedi- 
ately dismounted, unsaddled and turned the horses 
loose upon the grass. 

Having had only one meal the day before, and no 
breakfast this morning, we looked forward with impa- 
tience to the arrival of the coolies, although I confess I 
did not expect them, as they were too weak from want 
of food to travel far. They had only half a meal the 
day before, and nothing at all the day before that. 



268 The Kijie and Hoztitd in Ceylon. 

We had halted in a grassy ghide surrounded by thick 
jungle. There were numerous fresh tracks of deer and 
elk, but the animals themselves would not show. 

As evening approached we collected a quantity of 
dead timber and lighted a good fire, before which we 
piled the rifles, three and three, about ten feet apart. 
Across these we laid a pole, and then piled branches 
from the ground to the pole in a horizontal position. 
This made a shed to protect us from the dew, and, 
with our saddles for pillows, we all lay down together 
and slept soundly till morning. 

Nov. 28. — We woke hungry, and accordingly tight- 
ened our belts by two or three holes. V. Baker had to 
be in Kandy by the evening of the 30th, and he was 
now determined to push on. His pony had thrown all 
his shoes, and had eaten nothing but grass for many 
days. 

I knew our position well, as I had been lost near this 
spot about two years ago. We were fifty-three miles 
from Badulla. Nevertheless, V. B. started off, and 
arrived in Badulla that evening. On the same pony he 
pushed on to Newera Ellia, thirty-six miles, the next 
day, and then taking a fresh horse, he rode into Kandy, 
forty-seven miles, arriving in good time on the evening 
of the 30th November. 

Having parted with V. B., we saddled and mounted, 
and, following our guide through a forest-path, we ar- 
rived at Curhellulai after a ride of four miles. Noth- 
ing could exceed the wretchedness of this place, from 
which we had been led to expect so much. We could 
not even procure a grain of rice from the few small 
huts which composed the village. The headman, who 
himself looked half-starved, made some cakes of kor- 



A yungle Trip. 269 

rakan ; but as they appeared to be composed of two 
parts of sand, one of dirt and one of grain, I preferred 
a prolonged abstinence to such filth. The abject pov- 
erty of the whole of this country is beyond description. 

Our coolies arrived at eight A. m., faint and tired ; 
they no longer turned up their noses at korrakan, as 
they did at Monampitya, but they filled themselves 
almost to bursting. 

I started off V. B.*s coolies after him, also eight men 
whose loads had been consumed, and, with a diminished 
party, we started for Bibille, which the natives assured 
us was only nineteen miles from this spot. For once, 
they were about correct in their ideas of distance. The 
beautiful park country commenced about four miles 
from Curhellulai, and, after a lovely ride through this 
scenery for sixteen miles, we arrived at the luxurious 
and pretty village of Bibill6, which had so often been 
my quarters. 

We had ridden a hundred and forty miles from Minne- 
ria, through a country abounding with game of all kinds, 
sixty miles of which had never been shot over, and yet 
the whole bag in this lovely country consisted of only 
three elephants. So much for hurrying through our 
ground. If we had remained for a week at the foot 
of the Gunner's Coin, we could have obtained supplies 
of all kinds from Doolana, and we should have enjoyed 
excellent sport through the whole country. Our total 
bag was now wretchedly small, considering the quan- 
tity of ground that we had passed over. We had killed 
nine elephants and two deer. V. Baker had a miser- 
able time of it, having only killed two elephants when 
he was obliged to return. The trip might, in fact, be 
said to commence from Bibille. ^ 

23* 



270 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

This is a very pretty, civilized village, in the midst 
of a wild country. It is the residence of a Rhatama- 
hatmeya, and he and his family were well known to 
me. They were perfectly astonished when they heard 
by which route we had arrived, and upon hearing of 
our forty-eight hours of fasting, they lost no time in pre- 
paring dinner. We were now in a land of plenty, and 
we shortly fell to at a glorious dinner of fowls in various 
shapes, curries, good coffee, rice cakes, plantains and 
sweet potatoes. After our recent abstinence and poor 
fare, it seemed a perfect banquet. 

Nov. 29. — The coolies did not arrive till early this 
morning ; they were soon hard at work at curry and 
rice, and, after a few hours of rest, we packed up and 
started for a spot in the park (upon which I had often 
encamped) about ten miles from Bibille. 

The horses had enjoyed their paddy as much as we 
had relished our change of diet, and the coolies were 
perfectly refreshed. I sent orders to Kotoboya (about 
twenty miles from Bibille) for several bullock-loads of 
paddy and rice to meet us at an appointed spot, and 
with a good supply of fowls and rice, etc., for the pres- 
ent, we arrived at our place of encampment at three 
p. M,, after a delightful ride. 

The grass was beautifully green ; a few large trees 
shaded the tents, which were pitched near a stream, and 
the undulations of the ground, interspersed with clumps 
of trees and ornamented by rocky mountains, formed a 
most lovely scene. We sent a messenger to Nielgalla 
for Banda, and another to Dimboold^ne for old Medima 
and the trackers, with orders to meet us at our present 
encampment. We then took our rifles and strolled out 
to get a deer. We shortly found a herd, and Wortley 



A yungle Trip. z'ji 

got a shot at about sixty yards, and killed a doe. We 
could have killed other deer shortly afterward, but we 
did not wish to disturb the country by firing unneces- 
sary shots, as we had observed fresh tracks of elephants. 

We carried the deer to the tent, and rejoiced our 
coolies with the sight of venison ; the doe was soon di- 
vided among them, one haunch only being reserved for 
our own use. 

^^^. 20. — This, being Sunday, was a day of rest for 
inan and beast after our recent wanderings, and we 
patiently awaited the arrival of Banda and the trackers. 
The guns were all in beautiful order, and stood ar- 
ranged against a temporary rack, in readiness for the 
anticipated sport on the following day. 

Banda and the trackers arrived in the afternoon. His 
accounts were very favorable as to the number of ele- 
phants, and we soon laid down a plan for beating the 
Park in a systematic manner. 

Upon this arrangement the duration of sport in this 
country materially depends. If the shooting is con- 
ducted thoughtlessly here and there, without reference 
to the localities, the whole Park becomes alarmed at 
once, and the elephants quit the open country and retire 
to the dense ch^nar jungles. 

I proposed that we should commence shooting at our 
present encampment, then beat toward the Cave, shoot 
over that country toward Pattapalaar, from thence to 
cross the river and make a circuit of the whole of that 
portion of the Park, and finish off in the environs of 
Nielgalla. 

Banda approved of this plan, as we should then be 
driving the borders of the Park, instead of commencing 
in the centre. 



272 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

Dec. I. — The scouts were sent out at daybreak. At 
two o'clock p. M. they returned : they had found ele- 
phants, but they were four miles from the tent, and two 
men had been left to watch them. 

Upon questioning them as to their position, we dis- 
covered that they were in total ignorance of the number 
in the herd, as they had merely heard them roaring in 
the distance. They could not approach nearer, as a 
notoriously vicious rogue elephant was consorting with 
the herd. This elephant was well known to the natives 
from a peculiarity in having only one tusk, which was 
about eighteen inches long. 

In November and December elephant-shooting re- 
quires more than ordinary caution at the Park, as the 
rogue elephants, who are always bulls, are in the habit 
of attending upon the herds. The danger lies in their 
cunning. They are seldom seen in the herd itself, but 
they are generally within a few hundred paces, and 
just as the guns may have been discharged at the herd, 
the rogue will, perhaps, appear in full charge from his 
ambush. This is exquisitely dangerous, and is the 
manner in which I was caught near this spot in 1850. 

Banda was very anxious that this rogue should be 
killed before we attacked the herd, and he begged me 
to give him a shoulder shot with the four-ounce rifle, 
while Wortley and Palliser were to fire at his head. A 
shot through the shoulder with the heavy rifle would be 
certain death, although he might not drop immediately ; 
but the object of the natives was simply to get him killed 
on account of his mischievous habits. 

We therefore agreed to make our first attack upon 
the rogue : if we should kill him on the spot, so much 
the better ; if not, we knew that a four ounce ball 



A yungle Trip. 273 

through his kings would kill him eventually, and, at al] 
events, he would not be in a humor to interrupt oui 
pursuit of the herd, which we were to push for the mo- 
ment we had put the rogue out of the way. 

These arrangements being made, we started. After 
a ride of about four miles through beautiful country, we 
saw a man in the distance, who was beckoning to us. 
This was one of the watchers, who pointed to a jungle 
into which the elephant had that moment entered. 
From the extreme caution of the trackers, I could see 
that this rogue was worthy of his name. 

The jungle into which he had entered was a long 
but narrow belt, about a hundred yards in width ; it 
was tolerably good, but still it was so close that we 
could not see more than six paces in advance. I fully 
expected that he was lying in wait for us, and would 
charge when least expected. We therefore cautiously 
entered the jungle, and, sending Banda on in advance, 
with instructions to retreat upon the guns if charged, 
we followed him at about twenty paces' distance. 

Banda immediately untied his long hair, which fell 
to his hips, and divesting himself of all clothing except 
a cloth round his loins, he crept on in advance as 
stealthily as a cat. So noiselessly did he move that we 
presently saw him gliding back to us without a sound. 
He whispered that he had found the elephant, who was 
standing on the patina, a few yards beyond the jungle. 
We immediately advanced, and, upon emerging from 
the jungle, we saw him within thirty paces on our right, 
standing with his broadside exposed. Crack went the 
four-ounce through his shoulder, and the three-ounce 
and No. 8, with a similar good intention, into his head. 
Nevertheless, he did not fall, but started off at a great 

S 



274 ^^ Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

pace, though stumbling nearly on his knees, his head 
and tail both hanging down, his trunk hanging listlessl); 
upon the ground, and his ears, instead of being cocked, 
were pressed tightly back against his neck. He did not 
look much like a rogue at that moment, with upward 
of half a pound of lead in his carcase. Still we could 
not get another shot at him before he reached a jungle 
about seventy paces distant ; and here we stopped to 
load before we followed him, thinking that he was In 
dense ch^nar. This was a great mistake, for, on fol- 
lowing him a minute later, we found the jungle was 
perfectly open, being merely a fringe of forest on the 
banks of a broad river ; in crossing this we must have 
killed him had we not stopped to load. 

On the sandy bed of this river we found the fresh 
tracks of several elephants, who had evidently only just 
retreated, being disturbed by the shots fired ; these were 
a portion of the herd, and the old rogue having got his 
quietus, we pushed on as fast as we could upon the 
tracks through fine open forest. 

For about an hour we pressed on through forests, 
plains, rivers and thick jungles alternately, till at length, 
upon arriving on some rising ground, we heard the 
trumpet of an elephant. 

It was fine country, but overgrown with lemon grass 
ten feet high. ClumjDS of trees were scattered here 
and there among numerous small dells. Exactly oppo- 
site lay several large masses of rock, shaded by a few 
trees, and on our left lay a small hollow of high lemon 
grass, bordered by jungle. 

In this hollow we counted seven eleph'ints : their 
heads and backs were. just discernible above the grass, 
as we looked over them from some rising ground at 



A Jungle Trip. 275 

about seventy yards' distance. Three more elephants, 
were among the rocks, browsing upon the long grass. 

We now heard unmistakable sounds of a lars'e num- 
her of elephants in the jungle below us, from which 
the seven elephants in the hollow had only just 
emerged, and we quietly waited for the appearance of 
the whole herd, this being their usual feeding-time. 

One by one they majestically stalked from the jungle 
We were speculating on the probable number of this 
large herd, w^hen one of them suddenly winded us, and, 
with magical quickness, they all wheeled round and 
rushed back into the jungle. 

Calling upon my little troop of gun-bearers to keep 
close up, away we dashed after them at full speed ; 
down the steep hollow and through the high lemon 
grass, now trampled into lanes by the retreating ele- 
phants. 

In one instant the jungle seemed alive ; there were 
upward of jf/?j/ elephants in the herd. The trumpets 
rang through the forest, the young trees and underwood 
crashed in all directions with an overpowering noise, as 
this mighty herd, bearing everything before it, cr:\shed 
in one united troop through the jungle. 

At the extreme end of the grassy hollow there was a 
snug corner formed by an angle in the jungle. A glade 
of fine short turf stretched for a small distance into the 
forest, and, as the herd seemed to be bearing down in 
this direction, Wortley and I posted off as hard as we 
could go, hoping to intercept them if they crossed the 
glade. We arrived there in a few moments, and^ tak- 
ing our position on this fine level sward, about ten paces 
from the forest, we awaited the apparently irresistible 
storm that was bursting exactly upon us. 



1^6 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 

No pen, no tongue can describe the magnificence of 
the scene ; the tremendous roaring of the herd, min- 
gled with the shrill screams of other elephants ; the 
bursting stems of the broken trees ; the rushing sound 
of the leafy branches as though a tempest were howl- 
ing through them, all this concentrating with great 
rapidity upon the very spot upon which Ave were stand- 
ing. This was an exciting moment, especially to 
nerves unaccustomed to the sport. 

The whole edge of the forest was faced with a dense 
network of creepers ; from the highest tree-tops to the 
ground they formed a leafy screen like a green curtain, 
which clothed the forest as ivy covers the walls of a 
house. Behind this opaque mass the great actors in the 
scene were at w^ork, and the vv^hole body would evi- 
dently in a few seconds burst through this leafy veil 
and be right upon us. 

On they came, the forest trembling with the onset ; 
the leafy curtain burst into tatters ; the jungle ropes and 
snaky stems, tearing the branches from the tree-tops, 
were in a few moments heaped in a tangled and con- 
fused ruin. One dense mass of elephants' heads, in 
full career, presented themselves through the shattered 
barrier of creepers. 

Running toward them with a loud holloa, they were 
suddenly checked by our unexpected apparition, but 
the confused mass of elephants made the shooting very 
difficult. Two elephants rushed out to cross the little 
nook within four yards of me, and I killed both by a 
right and left shot. Wallace immediately pushed a 
spare rifle into my hand, just as a large elephant, mean- 
ing mischief, came straight toward me, with ears 
cocked, from the now staggered body of the herd. I 



A yungle Trip. 277 

killed her with the front shot, both barrels having gone 
oft' at once, the heavy charge of powder in the right 
hand barrel having started the trigger of the left barrel 
by the concussion. Round wheeled the herd, leaving 
their three leaders dead ; and now the race began. 

It was a splendid forest, and the elephants rushed off' 
at about ten miles an hour, in such a compact troop 
that their sterns formed a living barrier, and not a head 
could be seen. At length, after a burst of about two 
hundred yards, the deep and dry bed of a torrent 
formed a trench about ten feet in width. 

Not hesitating at this obstacle, down went the herd 
without missing a step ; the banks crumbled and half 
filled the trench as the leaders scrambled across, and 
the main body rushed after them at an extraordinary 
j^ace. 

I killed a large elephant in the act of crossing ; he 
rolled into the trench, but struggling to rise, I gave him 
the other barrel in the nape of the neck, which, break- 
ing his spine, extinguished him. He made a noble 
bridge, and, jumping upon his carcase, we cleared the 
ravine, and again the chase continued, although the 
herd had now gained about thirty paces. 

Upon a fine meadow of grass, about four feet high, 
the herd now rushed along in a compact mass extend- 
ing in a broadnine of massive hind-quarters over a sur- 
face of half an acre. This space formed a complete 
street in their wake, as they leveled everything before 
them ; and the high grass stood up on either side of this 
road like a wall. 

Along this level road we ran at full speed, and by 
great exertions managed to keep within twenty yards 
of the game. Full a quarter of a mile was passed at 

24 



278 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

this pace without a shot being fired. At length one 
elephant turned and faced about exactly in front of me. 
My thre*i double-barreled rifles were now all empty, 
and I was carrying the little No. 16 gun. I killed him 
with the right-hand barrel, but I lost ground by stop- 
ping to fire. 

A jungle lay about two hundred yards in front of the 
herd, and they increased their speed to arrive at this 
place of refuge. 

Giving the little gun, with one barrel still loaded, to 
Wallace, I took the four-ounce rifle in exchange, as I 
knew I could not close up with the herd before they 
reached the jungle, and a long shot would be my last 
chance. With this heavy gun (21 lbs.) I had hard 
work to keep my distance, which was about forty yards 
from the herd. 

Palliser and Wortley were before me, and within 
twenty yards of the elephants. They neared the jungle ; 
I therefore ran off' to my left as fast as I could go, so as 
to ensure a side shot. I was just in time to command 
their flank as the herd reached the jungle. A narrow 
river, with steep banks of twenty feet in height, bor- 
dered the edge, and I got a shot at a large elephant just 
as he arrived upon the brink of the chasm. He was 
fifty paces off", but I hit him in the templ^ with the four- 
ounce, and rolled him down the precipitous bank into 
the river. Here he lay groaning, so, taking the little 
gun, with one barrel still loaded, I extinguished him 
from the top of the bank. 

Oh, for half a dozen loaded guns ! I was now un- 
loaded, and the fun began in real earnest. The herd 
pushed for a particular passage down the steep bank. 
It was like a rush at the door of the opera ; they jostled 



A yungle Trip. 379 

each other in a confused melee^ and crossed the rivt^r 
with the greatest difficulty. By some bad luck, Palliser 
and Wortley only killed one as the herd was crossing 
the river, but they immediately disappeared in pursuit, 
as the elephants, having effected their passage, retreated 
in thick jungle on the other side. 

I was obliged to halt to load, which I did as quickly 
as possible. While I was ramming the balls down, 1 
leard several shots fired in quick succession, and when 
loaded I ran on with my gun-bearers toward the spot. 

It was bad, thorny jungle, interspersed with numer- 
.■)us small glades of fine turf. 

Upon arriving in one of these glades, about a quarter 
of a mile beyond the river, I saw a crowd of gun-bear- 
ers standing around some person lying upon the ground ; 
neither Palisser nor Wortley were to be seen, and foi 
an instant a chill ran through me as I felt convinced 
that some accident had happened. " Where are mas- 
ters?" I shouted to the crowd of men, and the next mo- 
ment I was quite relieved by seeing only a coolie lying 
on the ground. On examining the man I found he w^as 
more frightened than hurt, although he was cut , in 
several places and much bruised. 

Upon giving a shout, Palliser and Wortley returned 
to the spot. They now explained the mystery. They 
were running on the fresh tracks in this glade, no ele- 
phants being then in sight, when they suddenly heard a 
rush in the jungle, and in another instant two elephants 
charged out upon them. Wortley and Palliser both 
fired, but without effect — the gun-bearers bolted — an 
elephant knocked one man over, and tried to butt him 
against the ground ; but two more shots from both Pal- 
liser and Wortley turned him, but they were imme- 



2So The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

diatUy obliged to run in their turn, as the other elephani 
charged and just grazed Palliser with his trunk behind. 
Fortunately, they doubled short round, instead of con- 
tinuing a straight course, and the elephants turned into 
the jungle. They followed them for some little dis- 
tance, but the jungles were so bad that there was no 
chance, and they returned when I had shouted. 

The man who was hurt was obliged to be supported 
home. Two of the guns were lost, which the gun- 
bearers, in their fright, had thrown away. After a long 
search we found them lying in the high bushes. 

We now returned along the line of hunt to cut off 
the elephants' tails. I had fired at six, all of which 
were bagged, which we accordingly found in their va- 
rious positions. One of them was a very large female 
with her udder full of milk. Being very thirsty, both 
Wortley and I took a long pull at this, to the evident 
disgust of the natives. It was very good, being exactly 
like cows' milk. This was the elephant that I had 
killed doubly by the left-hand barrel exploding by acci- 
dent, and the two balls were only a few inches apart in 
the forehead. 

There had been very bad luck with this herd ; the 
only dead elephant, in addition to these six, was that 
which Wortley and Palliser had both fired at in the 
river, and another which Palliser had knocked down in 
the high grass when we had just commenced the attack 
— at which time he had separated from us to cut off 
the three elephants that we had just seen among the 
rocks. 

On arrival at the spot where the elephants had first 
burst from the jungle, a heavy shower came down, and 
the locks of the guns were immediately covered each 



A Jungle Trip. 281 

with a large leaf, and then tied up securely with a hand- 
kerchief. A large banian tree afforded us an imagin- 
ary shelter, but we were drenched to the skin in a few 
seconds. In the mean time, Palliser walked through 
the high lemon grass to look for his dead elephant. 

On arriving at the spot, instead of finding a deade]e' 
phans, he found him standing up, and only just recov- 
ered from the stunning effect of his wound; 

The elephant charged him immediately, and Palliser, 
having the lock of his gun tied up, was perfectly de- 
fenceless, and he was obliged to run as hard as his Ions: 
legs would carry him. 

" Look out ! look out ! an elephant's coming ! Look 
out ! " 

This we heard shouted as we were standing beneath 
the tree, and the next moment we saw Palliser's tall 
form of six feet four come flying through the high 
grass. Luckily the elephant lost him, and turned off 
in some other direction. If he had continued the chase, 
he would have made a fine diversion, as the locks were 
so tightly tied up that we could not have got a gun 
ready for some time. In a few minutes the shower 
cleared off, and on examining the place where the ele- 
phant had fallen, we found a large pool of clotted 
blood. 

We now rode homeward, but we had not gone a 
quarter of a mile before we heard an elephant roaring 
loudly in a jungle close to us. Thinking that it was the 
wounded brute who had just hunted Palliser, we imme- 
diately dismounted and approached the spot. The 
roaring continued until we were close to it, and we 
then saw a young elephant standing in the bed of a 
river, and he it was who was making all the noise, 
24* 



282 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

having been separated from the herd in the late melee. 
Wortley shot him, this making eight killed. 

When within a mile of the tent, as we were riding 
along a path through a thick thorny jungle, an immense 
rogue elephant stalked across our road. I fired the 
four-ounce through his shoulder, to the great satisfac- 
tion of Banda and the natives, although we never had 
a chance of. proving what the effect had been, as he 
was soon lost in the thick jungle. A short time after 
this we reached the tent, having had the perfection of 
sport in elephant-shooting, although luck had been 
against us in making a large bag. 

Dec. 2. — The scouts having been sent out at day- 
break, returned early, having found another herd of 
elephants. On our way to the spot Palliser fired at a 
rogue, but without effect. 

On arrival at the jungle in which the elephants were 
reported to be, we heard from the watchers that a rogue 
was located in the same jungle, in attendance upon the 
herd. This was now a regular thing to expect, and 
compelled us to be exceedingly cautious. 

Just as we were stalking through the jungle on the 
track of the herd, we came upon the rogue himself. 
Wortley fire:d at him but without effect, and unfortu- 
nately the shot frightened the herd, which was not a 
quarter of a mile distant, and the elephants retreated to 
a large tract of thick jungle country, where pursuit was 
impracticable. Our party was too large for shooting 
■•'rogues" with any degree of success. These brutes, 
being always on the alert, require the most careful 
stalking. There is only one way to kill them with any 
certainty. Two persons, at most, to attack ; each per- 
son to be accompanied by only one gun-bearer, who 



A yu7igle Trip. 283 

should carry two spare guns. One good tracker should 
lead this party of five people in single file. With great 
caution and silence, being well to leeward of the ele- 
phant, he can thus generally be approached till within 
twelve paces, and he is then killed by one shot before 
he knows that danger is near. What with our gun- 
bearers, trackers, watchers and ourselves, we were a 
party of sixteen persons ; it was therefore impossible to 
get near a rogue unperceived. 

On the way to the tent I got a shot at a deer at full 
gallop, on " old Jack." It was a doe, who bounded 
over the plain at a speed that soon distanced my horse, 
and I took a flying shot from the saddle with one of my 
No. 10 rifles. I did not get the deer, although she was 
badly wounded, as we followed the blood-tracks for 
some distance through thick jungle without success. 

This was altogether a blank day ; and having thor- 
oughly disturbed this part of the Park, we determined to 
up stick and move our quarters on the following day 
toward the " Cave," according to the plan that we had 
agreed upon for beating the country. 

Dec. 3. — With the cook and the canteen in com- 
pany we started at break of day, leaving the servants to 
pack up and bring the coolies and tents after us. By 
this arrangement we were sure of our breakfast wher- 
ever we went, and we were free from the noise of our 
followers, whose scent alone was enough to alarm miles 
of country down wind. We had our guns all loaded, 
and carried by our respective gun-bearers close to the 
horses, and, with Banda, old Medima and a couple of 
trackers, we were ready for anything. 

We had ridden about six miles when we suddenly 
came upon fres i elephant-tracks in a grassy hollow, sur- 



284 The Rifle and Hound iji Ceylon. 

rounded by low, rocky hills. We immediately sent the 
men off upon the tracks, while we waited upon a high 
plateau of rock for their return. They came back in 
about a quarter of an hour, having found the elephants 
vvithin half a mile. 

They were in high lemon grass, and upon arrival at 
the spot we could distinguish nothing, as the grass rose 
some feet above our heads. It was like shooting in the 
dark, and we ascended some rising ground to improve 
our position. Upon arrival on this spot we looked over 
an undulating sea of this grass, interspersed with rocky 
hills and small patches of forest. Across a valley we 
now distinguished the herd much scattered, going off in 
all directions. They had winded us, and left us but a 
poor chance of catching them in such ground. Of 
course we lost no time in giving chase. The sun was 
intensely hot — not a breath of air was stirring and the 
heat in the close, parched grass was overpowering. 
With the length of start that the elephants had got, we 
were obliged to follow at our best pace, which, over 
such tangled ground, was very fatiguing ; fortunately, 
however, the elephants had not yet seen us, and they 
had accordingly halted now and then, instead of going 
straight off. 

There were only four elephants together, and, by a 
great chance, we came up with them just as they were 
entering a jungle. I got a shot at the last elephant and 
killed him, but the others put on more steam, and all 
separated, fairly beating us, as we were almost used up 
by the heat. 

This was very bad luck, and we returned in despair 
of finding the scattered herd. We had proceeded some 
distance through the high grass, having just descended 



A jfungle Trip. 285 

a steep, rocky hill, when we suddenly observed two 
elephants approaching along the side of the very hill 
that we had just left. Had we remained in the centre 
of the hill, we should have met them as they advanced. 
One was a large female, and the other was most proba- 
bly her calf, being little more than half-grown. 

It was a beautiful sight to see the caution with which 
they advanced, and we lay down to watch them without 
being seen. They were about 200 yards from us, and, 
as they slowly advanced along the steep hillside they 
occasionally halted, and, with their trunks thrown up in 
the air, they endeavored, but in vain, to discover the 
enemy that had so recently disturbed them. We had 
the wind all right, and we now crept softly up the hill, 
so as to meet them at right angles. The hillside was 
a mass of large rocks overgrown and concealed by the 
high lemon grass, and it was difficult to move without 
making a noise or falling into the cavities between the 
rocks. 

I happened to be at the head of our line, and, long 
before I expected the arrival of the elephants, I heard 
a rustling in the grass, and the neyt moment I saw the 
large female passing exactly opposite me, within five 
or six paces. I was on half-cock 5it the time, as the 
ground was dangerous to pass over with a gun on full 
cock, but I was just quick enough to knock her over 
before the high grass should conceal he vat another step. 
She fell in a small chasm, nearly upseii-ting the young 
elephant, who was close behind her. Wortley killed 
him while I took the last kick out of the old one by 
another shot, as she was still moving. 

We had thus only killed three elephan ts out of the 
herd, and, without seeing more, we returned to \h^ horses. 



286 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

On finding them we proceeded on our road toward 
the " Gave," but had not ridden above two miles far- 
ther when we again came upon fresh tracks of ele- 
phants. Sending on our trackers like hounds upon 
their path, we sat down and breakfasted under a tree. 
We had hardly finished the last cup of coffee when the 
trackers returned, having found another herd. They 
were not more than half a mile distant, and they were 
reported to be in open forest, on the banks of a deep 
and broad river. 

Our party was altogether too large for elephant-shoot- 
ing, as we never could get close up to them without 
being discovered. As usual, they winded us before we 
got near them, but by quick running we overtook them 
just as they arrived on the banks of the river and took 
to water. Wortley knocked over one fellow just as he 
thought he was safe in running along the bottom of a 
deep gully ; I floored his companion at the same mo- 
ment, thus choking up the gully, and six elephants 
closely packed together forded the deep stream. The 
tops of their backs and heads were alone above water. 
I fired the four-ounce into the nape of one elephant's 
heck as the herd crossed, and he immediately turned 
over and lay foundered in the middle of the river, which 
was sixty or seventy yards across. In the mean time, 
Palliser and Wortley kept up a regular volley, but no 
effects could be observed until the herd reached and be- 
gun to ascend the steep bank on the opposite side. I 
had reloaded the four-ounce, and the heavy battery now 
begun to open to concert with the general volley as the 
herd scrambled up the precipitous bank. Several ele- 
phants fell, but recovered themselves and disappeared- 



A yungle Trip. 287 

At length the volley ceased, and two were seen — one 
dead on the top of the bank, and the other still strug- 
gling in the shallow water at the foot of the bank. 
Once more a general battery opened and he was extin- 
guished. Five were killed, and if noise and smoke 
add to the fun, there was certainly plenty of it. Wort- 
le)^ and my man Wallace now swam across the river 
and cut off the elephants' tails. 

We returned to the horses, and moved to the "Cave," 
meeting with no further incidents that day. 

Dec. 4. — We saw nothing but deer the whole of the 
day, and they were so wild that we could not get a shot. 
It was therefore a blank. 

Dec. 5. — We started early, and for five miles we 
tracked a large herd of elephants through fine open 
country, until we were at length stopped by impene- 
trable jungle of immense extent, forming the confines 
of the " Park " on this side. We therefore reluctantly 
left the tracks, and directed our course toward Pattapa- 
laar, about twelve miles distant. 

We had passed over a lovely country, and were with- 
m a mile of our proposed resting-place, when Banda, 
who happened to be a hundred yards in advance, came 
quickly back, saying that he saw a rogue elephant feed- 
ing on the patina not far from us. Wortley had gone 
in another direction with old Medima a few minutes 
previous to look for a deer ; and Palliser and I resolved 
to stalk him carefully. We therefore left all the people 
behind, except two gun-bearers, each of whom carried 
one of my double-barreled rifles. I carried .my four- 
ounce, and Palliser took the two-ounce. 

It was most difficult ground for stalking, being en 
tirely open, on a spot which had been high lemon grass, 



288 The Rifle and Houjid m Ceylon. 

but recently burnt, the long reeds in many places still 
remaining. 

We could not get nearer than fifty yards in such 
ground, and I accordingly tried a shot at his temple 
with the four-ounce. The long unburnt stalks of the 
lemon grass waving to and fro before the sights of my 
rifle so bothered me that I missed the fatal spot, and 
fired about two inches too high. Stumbling only for a 
moment from the blow, he rushed down hill toward a 
jungle, but at the same instant Palliser made a capital 
shot with the long two-ounce, and knocked him over. 
I never saw an elephant fall with such a crash : they 
generally sink gently down ; but this fellow was going at 
such speed down hill that he fairly pitched upon his head. 

We arrived at our resting-place, and having pitched 
the tents, we gave them up to Banda and the servants, 
while we took possession of a large " amblam," or open 
building, massively built by the late Major Rodgers, 
which is about twenty-five feet square. This we ar- 
ranged in a most comfortable manner, and here we de- 
termined to remain for some days, while we beat the 
whole country thoroughly. 

Dec. 6. — We started at our usual early hour with 
Banda and the trackers, and after a walk of about a mile 
we found fresh tracks and followed up. Crossing a 
smiill river upon the track, we entered a fine open for- 
est, through which the herd had only just passed, and 
upon following them for about a quarter of a mile, we 
came to a barrier of dense chenar jungle, into which the 
elephants had retreated. 

There was a rogue with this herd, and we were rather 
doubtful of his position. We stood in the open forest, 
within a few feet of the thick jungle, to the edge of 



A yungle Trip. 2^(> 

which the elephants were so close that we could hear 
their deep breathing ; and by stooping down we could 
distinguish the tips cf their trunks and their feet, al- 
though the animals themselves were invisible. We 
waited about half an hour in the hope that some of the 
elephants might again enter the open forest ; at length 
two, neither of whom were above five feet high, came 
out and faced us. My dress of elastic green tights had 
become so browned by constant washing and exposure, 
that I matched exactly with the stem of a tree against 
which I was leaning, and one of the elephants kept ad- 
vancing toward me until I could nearly touch him with 
my rifle ; still he did not see me, and I did not wish to 
fire, as I should alarm the herd, which would then be 
lost for ever. Unfortunately, just at this moment, the 
other elephant saw Palliser, and the alarm was given. 
There was no help for it, and we were obliged to fire. 
Mine fell dead, but the other fell, and, recovering him- 
self immediately, he escaped in the thick jungle. 

This was bad luck, and we returned toward the 
*' amblam" to breakfast. On our way there we found 
that the " rogue" had concealed himself in a piece of 
thick jungle, backed by hills of very high lemon grass. 
From this stronghold we tried to drive him, and posted 
ourselves in a fine position to receive him should he 
break cover ; but he was too cunning to come out, and 
the beaters were too knowing to go in to drive such bad 
jungle ; it was, therefore, a drawn game, and we were 
obliged to leave him. 

When within a short distance of the " amblam," a 

fine black partridge got up at about sixty yards. I was 

lucky enough to knock him over with a rifle, and still 

more fortunate in not injuring him much with the ball, 

26 T 



290 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

which took his wing off close to his body. Half an 
hour afterward he formed part of our breakfast. 

During our breakfast a heavy shower of rain came 
down and continued for about two hours. 

In the afternoon we sallied out, determined to shoot 
at any large game that we might meet. We had lately 
confined our sport to elephants, as we did not wi&h to 
disturb the country by shooting at other game, but hav- 
ing fired in this neighborhood in the morning, we were 
not very particular. 

We walked through a lovely country for about five 
miles, seeing nothing whatever in the shape of game, 
not even a track, as all the old marks were washed out 
by the recent shower. At length we heard the barking 
of deer in the distance, and, upon going in that di- 
rection, we saw a fine herd of about thirty. They were 
standing in a beautiful meadow of about a hundred 
acres in extent, perfectly level, and interspersed with 
trees, giving it the appearance of an immense orchard 
rather thinly planted. One side of this plain was bounded 
by a rocky mountain, which rose precipitously from its 
base, the whole of which was covered with fine open 
forest. 

We were just stalking toward the deer when we came 
upon a herd of wild buffaloes in a small hollow within 
a close shot. 

Palliser wanted a pair of horns, and he was just pre- 
paring for a shot when we suddenly heard the trumpet 
of an elephant in the forest at the foot of the rocky 
mountain, close to us. 

Elephants, buffaloes and deer were all within a hun- 
dred yards of each other : we almost expected to see 
Noah's ark on the top of the hill. 



A yungle Trip. 291 

Of course the elephants claimed our immediate atten- 
tion. It was Palliser's turn to lead the way ; and upon 
entering the forest at the foot of the mountain we found 
that the elephants were close to us. The forest was a 
perfect place for elephant-shooting. Large rocks were 
scattered here and there among the fine trees, free from 
underwood ; these rocks formed alleys of various widths, 
and upon such ground an elephant had no chance. 

There was a large rock the size of a small house lying 
within a few yards from the entrance of the forest. This 
rock was split in two pieces, forming a passage of two 
feet wide, but of several yards in length. As good luck 
would have it, an elephant stood exactly on the other 
side, and, Palliser leading the way, we advanced through 
this secure fort to the attack. 

On arrival at the extreme end, Palliser fired two quick 
shots, and, taking a spare gun, he fired a third, before 
we could see what was going on, we being behind him 
in this narrow passage. Upon passing through we 
thought the fun was over ; he had killed three elephants, 
and no more were to be seen anywhere. 

Hardly had he reloaded, however, when we heard a 
tremendous rushing thi'ough the forest in the distance ; 
and, upon quickly running to the spot, we came upon 
a whole herd of elephants, who were coming to meet 
us in full speed. Upon seeing us, however, they 
checked their speed for a moment, and Palliser and 
Wortley both fired, which immediately turned them. 
This was at rather too long a distance, and no elephants 
were killed. 

A fine chase now commenced through the open for- 
est, the herd rushing off at great speed. This pace 
soon took us out of it, and we burst upon an open plain 



2^2 'The Rifle and Hound i)i Ceylon. 

of high lemon grass. Here I got a shot at an elephant, 
who separated from the main body, and I killed him. 

The pace was now so great that the herd fairly dis- 
tanced us in the tangled lemon grass, which, though 
play to them, was very fatiguing to us. 

Upon reaching the top of some rising ground, I no- 
ticed several elephants, at about a quarter of a mile dis- 
tant upon my left in high grass, while the remaining 
portion of the herd (three elephants) were about two 
hundred yards ahead, and were stepping out at full 
speed straight before us. 

Wortley had now had plenty of practice, and shot his 
elephants well. He and Palliser followed the three 
elephants, while I parted company and ran toward the 
other section of the herd, who were standing on some 
rising ground, and were making a great roaring. 

On arriving within a hundred yards of them I found 
I had caught a " Tartar," It is a very different thing, 
creeping up to an unsuspecting herd and attacking them 
by surprise, to marching up upon sheer open ground 
to a hunted one with wounded elephants among them, 
who have regularly stood at bay. This was now the 
case ; the ground was perfectlj open, and the lemon 
grass was above my head : thus I could onl}^ see the 
exact position of the elephants every now and then, by 
standing upon the numerous little rocks that were scat- 
tered here and there. The elephants were standi*ng 
upon some rising ground, from which they watched 
every movement as I approached. They continued to 
growl without a moment's intermission, being enraged 
not only from the noise of the firing, but on account of 
twc calves which they had with them, and which I 
could not see in the high grass. There was a gentle 



A yungle Trip. 293 

rise in the ground within thirty paces of the spot upon 
which they stood ; and to this place I directed my steps 
with great care, hiding in the high grass as I crept 
toward them. 

During the whole of this time guns were firing with- 
out intermission in the direction taken by Palliser and 
Wortley, thus keeping my game terribly on the qzii 
vive. What they were firing so many shots at I could 
not conceive. 

At length I reached the rising ground. The moment 
that I was discovered by them the two largest elephants 
came toward me, with their ears cocked .and their 
trunks raised. 

I waited for a second or two till they lowered their 
trunks, which they presently did ; and taking a steady 
shot with one of my double-barreled No. 10 rifles, I 
floored them both by a right and left. One, however, 
immediately recovered, and, with the blood streaming 
from his forehead, he turned and retreated with the re- 
mainder of the herd at great speed through the high 
grass. 

The chase required great caution ; however, thev for- 
tunately took to a part of the country where the grass 
was not higher than my shoulders, and I could thus see 
well over it. Through this I managed to keep within 
fifty yards of the herd, and I carried the heavy four- 
ounce rifle, which I knew would give one of them a 
benefit if he turned to charsre. 

I was following the herd at this distance when they 
suddenly halted, and the wounded elephant turned 
quickly round and charged with a right good intention. 
He carried his head thrown back in such a position 
that I could not get a fair shot; but, nevertheless, the 
25* 



294 The mjie and Hound in Ceylon. 

four-ounce ball stopped him, and away he went again 
with the herd at full speed, the blood gushing in streams 
from the wounds in his head. 

My four-ounce is a splendid rifle for loading quickly, 
it being so thick in the metal that the deep groove 
catches the belt of the ball immediately. I was loaded 
in a few seconds, and again set off in pursuit. I saw 
the herd at about two hundred yards distant ; they had 
halted, and they had again faced about. 

I had no sooner approached within sixty paces of 
them, when the wounded elephant gave a trumpet, and 
again rushed forward out of the herd. His head was 
so covered with blood, and was still thrown back in 
such a peculiar position, that I could not get a shot at 
the exact mark. Again the four-ounce crashed through 
his skull, and, staggered with the blow, he once more 
turned and retreated with the herd. 

Loading quickly, I poured the powder down ad lih- 
ituniy and ran after the herd, who had made a circuit 
to arrive in the same forest in which we had first found 
them. A sharp run brought me up to them ; but, upon 
seeing me, they immediately stopped, and, without a 
moment's pause, round came my old antagonist again 
straight at me, with his head still raised in the same 
knowing position. The charge of powder was so great 
that it went off' like a young fieldpiece, and the ele- 
phant fell upon his knees ; but, again recovering him- 
self, he turned and went off* at such a pace that he left 
the herd behind, and in a few minutes I was within 
twenty yards of them ; but I would not fire, as I was 
determined to bag my wounded bird before I fired a 
single shot at another. 

They now reached the forest, but, instead of retreat* 



A yungJe Trip. 295 

ing, the wounded elephant turned short round upon the 
very edge of the jungle and faced me ; the remaining 
oortion of the herd (consisting of two large elephants 
and two calves) had passed on into the cover. 

This was certainly a plucky elephant ; his whole face 
was a mass of blood, and he stood at the very spot 
where the herd had passed into the forest as though he 
was determined to guard the entrance. I was now 
about twenty-five yards from him, when, gathering him- 
self together for a decisive charge, he once more come 
on. 

I was on the point of pulling the trigger when he 
reeled and fell without a shot from sheer exhaustion ; 
but, recovering himself immediately, he again faced me, 
but did not move. This was a fatal pause ; he forgot 
the secret of throwing his head back, and he now held 
it in the natural position, offering a splendid shot at 
about twenty yards. Once more the four-ounce buried 
itself in his skull, and he fell dead. 

Palliser and Wortley came up just as I was endeavor- 
ing to track up the herd, which I had now lost sight of 
in the forest. Following upon their tracks, we soon 
came in view of <?hem. Away we went as fast as we 
could run toward them, but I struck my shin against a 
fallen tree, which cut me to the bone and pitched me 
upon my head. The next moment, however, we were 
up with the elephants : they were standing upon a slope 
of rock facing us, but regularly dumbfounded at their 
unremitting pursuit, and they all rolled over to a volley 
as we came up, two of them being calves. Palliser 
killed the two biggest right and left, he being some 
paces in advance. 

This was one of the best hunts that I have ever shared 



296 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

in. The chase had lasted for nearly an hour. There 
had been thirteen elephants originally in the herd, 
every one of which had been bagged by fair running.. 
Wortley had fired uncommonly well, as he had killed 
the three elephants which he and Palliser had chased, 
one of which had given them a splendid run and had 
proved restive. This elephant took fifteen shots before 
she fell, and this accounted for the continual firing which 
I had heard during my chase of the other section. We 
had killed fourteen elephants during the day, and we 
returned to the " amblam," having had as fine sport as 
Ceylon can afford. 

Dec. 7. — This, being Sunday, was passed in quiet; 
but a general cleaning of guns took place, to be ready 
for the morrow. 

Dec. 8. — We went over many miles of ground with- 
out seeing a fresh track. We had evidently disturbed 
the country on this side of the river, and we returned 
toward the " amblam, " determined to cross the river 
after breakfast and try the opposite side. 

When within a mile of the " amblam " we heard deer 
barking, and, leaving all our gun-bearers and people 
behind, we carefully stalked to the ^ot. The ground 
was very favorable, and, having the wind, we reached 
an excellent position among some trees within sixty 
yards of the herd of deer, who were standing in a little 
glade. Wortley and I each killed a buck; Palliser 
wounded a doe, which we tracked for a great distance 
by the blood, but at length lost altogether. 

After breakfast we crossed the large river which flows 
near the " amblam," and then entered a part of the Park 
that we had not yet beaten. 

Keeping to our left we entered a fine forest and skirted 



A Jungle Trip. 29^ 

the base of a range of rocky mountains. In this foresi 
we saw deer and wild buffalo, but we would not fire a 
shot, as we had just discovered the fresh track of a rogue 
elephant. We were following upon this when we heard 
a bear in some thick jungle. We tried to circumvent 
him, but in vain ; Bruin was too quick for us, and we 
did not get a sight of him. 

We were walking quietly along the dry bed of a little 
brook bordered by thick jungle upon either side, when 
we were suddenly roused by a tremendous crash through 
ihe jungle, which was evidently coming straight upon 
us. 

We were in a most unfavorable position, but there 
was no time for any further arrangement than bringing 
the ritle on full cock before six elephants, including the 
" rogue " whose tracks we were following, burst through 
the jungle straight at us. 

Banda was nearly run over, but with wonderful agility 
he ran up some tangled creepers hanging from the trees, 
just as a spider would climb his web. He was just in 
time, as the back of one of the elephants grazed his feet 
as it passed below him. 

In the mean time the guns were not idle. Wortley 
fired at the leading elephant, which had passed under 
Banda's feet, just as he was crossing the brook on our 
left. His shot did not produce any effect, but I killed 
him by a temple-shot just as he was passing on. Pal- 
liser, who was on our right, killed two and knocked 
down a third, who was about half grown. This fellow 
got up again, and Wortley and Palliser, both firing at 
the same moment, extinguished him. 

The herd had got themselves into a mess by rushing 
down upon our scent in this heedless manner, as fouf 



298 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

of them lay dead within a few paces of each othei 
The " rogue," who knew how to take care of himself, 
escaped with only one companion. Upon these tracks 
we now followed without loss of time. 

An hour was thus occupied. We tracked them 
through many glades and jungles, till we at length dis- 
covered in a thick chenar the fresh tracks of another 
herd, which the " rogue " and his companion had evi- 
dently joined, as his immense foot-print was very con- 
spicuous among the numerous marks of the herd. 
Passing cautiously through a thick jungle, we at length 
emerged upon an extensive tract of high lemon grass. 
There was a small pool of water close to the edge of 
the jungle, which was surrounded with the fresh dung 
of elephants, and the muddy surface of the water was 
still agitated by the recent visit of some of these thirsty 
giants. 

Carefully ascending some slightly rising ground, and 
keeping close to the edge of the jungle, we peered over 
the high grass. 

We were in the very centre of the herd, who were 
much scattered. It was very late, being nearly dusk ; 
but we counted six elephants here and there in the high 
grass within sixty paces of us, while the rustling in the 
jungle to our left warned ns that a portion of the herd 
had not yet quitted this cover. We knew that the 
"rogue" was somewhere close at hand, and after his 
recent defeat would be doubly on the alert. Our plans 
therefore required the greatest vigilance. 

There was no doubt as to the proper course to pur 
sue, which was to wait patiently until the whole herd 
had left the jungle and concentrated in the high grass ; 
but the waning daylight did not permit of such a steady 



A yungle Trip, 399 

method of proceeding. I then proposed that we should 
choose our elephants, which were scattered in the high 
grass, and advance separately to the attack. Palliser 
voted that we should creep up to the elephants that 
were in the jungle close to us, instead of going into the 
high grass. 

I did not much like this plan, as I knew that it 
would be much darker in the Jungle than in the patina, 
and there was no light to spare. However, Palliser 
crept into the jungle, toward the spot where we heard 
the elephants crashing the bushes. 

Instead of following behind him, I kept almost in a 
line, but a few feet on one side, otherwise I knew that 
should he fire I should see nothing for the smoke of his 
shot. This precaution was not thrown away. The 
elephants were about fifty yards from the entrance to 
the jungle, and we were of course up to them in a few 
minutes. Palliser took a steady shot at a fine elephant 
about eight yards from him, and fired. 

The only effect produced was a furious charge right 
into us ! 

Away went all the gun-bearers except Wallace as 
hard as they could run, completely panic-stricken. Pal- 
liser and Wortley jumped to one side to get clear of 
the smoke, which hung like a cloud before them, and 
having taken my position with the expectation of some- 
thing of this kind, I had a fine clear forehead shot as 
the elephant came rushing on, and I dropped him dead. 

The gun-bearers were in such a fright that they never 
stopped till they got out on the patina. 

The herd had of course gone off at the alarm of the 
firing, and we got a glimpse at the old " rogue " as he 
was taking to the jungle. Palliser fired an ineffectual 



300 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, 

shot at him at a long range, and the day closed. It 
was moonlight when we reached the " amblam" : tlie 
bag for that day being five elephants and two bucks. 

Dec. 9. — We had alarmed this part of the country, 
and after spending a whole morning in wandering over 
a large extent of ground without seeing a fresh track 
of an elephant, we determined to move on to Nielgalla, 
eight miles from the " amblam." We accordingly 
packed up, and started off our coolies by the direct 
path, while we made a long circuit by another route in 
the hope of meeting with heavy game. 

After riding about four miles, our path lay through a 
dense forest up the steep side of a hill. Over this was 
a narrow road, most difficult for a horse to ascend, on 
account of the large masses of rocks which choked the 
path from the base to the summit. Leaving the horse- 
keepers with the horses to scramble up as they best 
could, we took our guns and went on in advance. We 
had nearly reached the summit of this pass when we 
came suddenly upon some fragments of chewed leaves 
and branches lying in the middle of the path. The 
saliva was still warm upon them, and the dung of an 
elephant lay in the road in a state which proved his 
close vicinity. There were no tracks, of course, as the 
path was nothing but a line of piled rocks, from which 
the forest had been lately cleared, and the elephants had 
just been disturbed by the clattering of the horses' 
hoofs in ascending the rugged pass. 

Banda had run on in front about fifty yards before 
us, but we had no sooner arrived on the summit of the 
hill than we saw him returning at a flying pace toward 
us, with an elephant chasing him in full speed. 

It was an exciting scene while it lasted : with thf» nr 



A yungle Trip. 301 

tivity ot a deer he sprang from rock to rock, while we 
of course ran to his assistance, and arrived close to the 
elephant just as Banda had reached a high block of 
stone, which furnished him an asylum. A shot from 
Palliser brought the elephant upon his knees, but, im- 
mediately recovering himself, he ran round a large rock. 
I ran round the other side, and killed him dead within 
four paces. 

Upon descending the opposite side of the pass we 
arrived in flat, open country, and on the left of the road 
we saw another elephant, a " rogue," in high lemon 
grass. We tried to get a shot at him, but it was of no 
use ; the grass was so high and thick that, after trying 
several experiments, we declined following him in such 
ground. We arrived at Nielgalla in the evening with- 
out further sport ; here we killed a few couple of snipe 
in the paddy-fields, which added to our dinner. 

Dec. 10. — Having beaten several miles of country 
without seeing any signs of elephants, we came unex- 
pectedly upon a herd of wild buffaloes ; they were 
standing in beautiful open ground, interspersed with 
trees, about a hundred and ten paces from us. I gave 
Palliser my heavy rifle, as he was very anxious to get a 
pair of good horns, and with the pleasure of a specta- 
tor I watched the sport. He made a good shot with 
the four-ounce and dropped the foremost buffalo ; the 
herd galloped off*, but he broke the hind leg of another 
buffalo with one of the No. 10 rifles, and, after a chase 
of a couple of hundred yards, he came up with the 
wounded beast, who could not extricate himself from a 
deep gully of water, as he could not ascend the steep 
bank on three legs. A few more shots settled him. 

We gave up all ideas of elephants for this day after 
26 



302 The RiJtL ana Hound in Ceylon, 

so much firing, but, curious enough, just as we were 
mounting our horses we heard the roar of an elephant 
in a jungle on the hillside about half a mile distant. 
There was no mistaking the sound, and we were soon 
at the spot. This jungle was very extensive, and the 
rocky bed of a mountain-torrent divided it into two por- 
tions ; on the right hand was fine open forest, and on 
the left hand thick thorny ch^nar. The elephants were 
in the open forest, close to the edge of the torrent. 

The herd winded us just as we were approaching up 
the steep ascent of the rocky stream, and they made a 
rush across the bed of the torrent to gain the thick jun- 
gle on the opposite bank. Banda immediately beckoned 
to me to come into the thick jungle with the intention 
of meeting the elephants as they entered, while Palliser 
was to command the narrow passage, in which there 
was only space for one person to shoot without confu- 
sion. 

In the mean time Palliser knocked over three ele- 
phants as they crossed the stream, while we, on reach- 
ing the thick jungle, found it was so dense that we could 
see nothing. Just as we were thinking of returning 
again to the spot that we had left, we heard a tremen- 
dous rush in the thick jungle, coming straight toward 
us. In another instant I saw a mass of twisted and 
matted thorns rushing in a heap upon me. I had barely 
time to jump on one side, as the elephant nearly grazed 
me, and I fired both barrels into the tangled mass that 
he bore upon his head. I then bolted and took up a 
good position at a few yards' distance. The shots in 
the head had so completely stunned the elephant that 
she could not move, and she stood in a piece of jungle 
so dense that we could not see her, and Palliser creep- 



A yungle Trip, 303 

ing up to her, while we stood ready to back him, fired 
three shots at her without the least effect. She did not 
even move, being senseless with the wound. One of 
my men then gave him my four-ounce rifle. A loud 
report from the old gun sounded the elephant's knell, 
ind closed the sport for that trip. 

We returned to Nielgalla, the whole of that day's 
bag belonging to Palliser — four elephants and two buffa- 
loes. We packed up our traps, and early the next 
morning we started direct for Newera EUia, having in 
three weeks from the day of our departure from Kandy 
bagged fifty elephants, five deer and two buffaloes ; of 
which Wortley had killed to his bag ten elephants and 
two deer ; Palliser sixteen elephants and two buffaloes ; 
V. Baker, up to the time of his leaving us, two ele- 
phants. 




CHAPTER XIII. 
Conclusion. 

THUS ended a trip which exhibited the habits and 
character of elephants in a most perfect manner. 
From the simple experience of these three weeks' shoot- 
ing, a novice might claim a knowledge of the elephant ; 
and the journal of this tour must at once explain, even 
to the most uninitiated, the exact proportion of risk 
with which this sport is attended when followed up in 
a sportsmanlike manner. These days will always be 
looked back to by me with the greatest pleasure ; the 
moments of sport lose none of their brightness by age, 
and when the limbs become enfeebled by time, the 
mind can still cling to scenes long past with the pleas- 
ure of youth. 

One great addition to the enjoyment of wild sport is 
the companionship of thorough sportsmen. A confi- 
dence in each other is absolutely necessary ; without 
this, I would not remain a day in the jungle. An even 
temper, not easily disturbed by the little annoyances in- 
separable from a trip in wild country, is also indispens- 
able ; without this, a man would be insufferable. Our 
party was an emblem of contentment. The day's sport 
concluded, the evenings were most enjoyable, and will 
never be forgotten. The well-arranged tent, the neatly- 
spread table, the beds forming a triangle around the 
S04 



Conclusion. ^ 305 

walls, and the clean guns piled in a long row against 
the gun-rack, will often recall a tableau in after years 
in countries far from this land of independence. The 
acknowledged sports of England will appear child's 
play ; the exciting thrill will be wanting when a sud- 
den rush in the jungle brings the rifle on full cock ; 
and the heavy guns will become useless mementoes 
of past days, like the dusty helmets of yore hanging 
up in an old hall. The belt and the hunting-knife will 
alike share the fate of the good rifle, and the blade, now 
so keen, will blunt from sheer neglect. The slips, 
which have held the necks of dogs of such staunch na- 
tures, will hang neglected from the wall ; and all these 
souvenirs of wild sports, contrasted with the puny imple- 
ments of the English chase, will awaken once more the 
longing desire for the " Rifle and Hound in Ceylon." 
26* U 





' ^B^^Mg^t^^f^m^mmm gf^ V^ 4^ it BLl "^^^^ fi^^®* ^''San in the 

wtT&iCJI^Si OrfC^AWJB Market. Price reduced 
n $175 to $123. Acclimatized case. Anti-Shoddy and Anti-Monopoly. Not all case, 
ps, top and advertisement. "Warranted for 6 years. Has the Excelsior 18-Stop 
nbination, embracing Diapason, Flute, Melodia-Forte, Violina, Aeolina, Viola, 
ite-Forte, Celeste, Dulcet, Echo, Melodia, Celestina, Octave Coupler, Tremelo, 
>-Bass, Cello, Grand-Organ Air Brake, Grand-Organ Swell. Two Knee- 
' ps. This is a Walnut case, with Music Balcony, Sliding Desk, Side Ilandles, «tc. 
i mansions : Height, 75 inches; Length, 48 inches; Depth, 24 inches. This 5-Octavo 
I Tm, with Stool, Book and Music, we will bos and deliver at dock in New York, for 
1 S, Send by express, prepaid, check, or registered letter to 

I SICniTSOlT Si CO.. Pianos and Organs, 

i -^ 19 West nth Street, New York. 



ENOCH HOUGAlSrS SONS' 




SAioio 



CLEANS 

WINDOWS, 
MARBLE, 

KNIVEa 

POI.ISHBS _ 

TIN-WAEE, 
IBON,SIEEL,&<T. 




r^T=?. A Tq -T>3 PQ,TT A T?,TP, .ATTID "U -b*IiIC3-:H'J.' IFT A.TTOS- 

The demands now made by an educated musical public are so 
exacting, that very few pi ino-forte manufacturers can produce instru- 
ments that will stand tbe test which merit requires. 

SoHJViER & Co. , as manufacturers, rank among this chosen few, 
who are acknowledged to be makers of standard instruments. In 
these days when many manufacturers urge the low price of their 
wares, rather than their superior quality, as an inducement to pur- 
chase, it may not be amiss to suggest that, in a piano, quality and 
price are too inseparably joined, to expect the one without the other. 

Every piano ought to be judged as to the quality of its tone, its 
touch, and its workmanship ; if any one of these is wanting in excel- 
lence, however good the others may be, the instrument will be imper- 
fect. It is the combination of all th' se qualities in the highest degree 
that constitutes the perfect piano, and it is sueh a combination, as has 
given the SOHMER its hon orable posit ion with the trade and public. 

M U A ImL H A Ss^tris^Easmth St.,N.Y. 



STANDARD PUBLICATIONS. 



Ohas. Dickens' Complete "Works, 

15 Vols., 12mo, cloth, gilt, S22.50. 
"W. M. Thackeray's Coraplet© 
Works, li Vols., ISino, cloth, gilt, 
$16.50. 



Georg-e Eliot's Complete "Works, 

8 Vols., 12mo, cloth, gilt, $10.00. 
Plutarch's lives of filustrioTis 

Men. 3 Vols., 12mo. cloth, gilt, 

14.50.' 
JOHN V^T. LOVELL CO., Publishers, 

14 AND 16 Veset Stkbbt, New YobSc 



STANDARD PUBLSCATIONS. 



S-ollins' Ancient History, 4 Vols., 
12mo, cloth, gilt, ^Jti.uO. 

Charles Knight's Popular His- 
tory of England, 8 V'uls., l2mo, 
cloth, gilt top, $12.00. 



Lovell's Series of Red Line 

Poets, 50 Volumes of all the best 
works of the woild's great Poets, 
Tennyson, Shakespeare, Milton, Mere- 
dith, Ingelovv, Proctor, Scott, Byron, 
Dante, &c., $1.25 per volume, 
JOHN W. LOVELL CO., Publishers. 

14 Ai^D 16 Veset Stbeet, New Yob&. 



i 



LOVELL S LIBRARY ADVERTISER 



KECENTLY PUBLISHED; 

UNDERGROUND RUSSIA: 

Revolutionary Profiles and Sketches from Life. 

By STEPNIAK, formerly Editor of " Zemlia 1 Volia" (Land and 

Liberty). With a Preface by PETER LAVROPF. Translated 

from the Itahano 1 vol. 12mo., paper cover, Lovell's Library, 

- No. 173 price 20 cents. 

"The book is as yet unique in literature; U is a priceless contribution to 
our knowledge of Russian thought and feeling; as a trv^ and faithful reflection 
of certain aspects of, perhaps, the most tremendous politicial movement in 
history, it seems destined to become a standard work "''— Athen^ubi. 



An Outline of the History o: Ireland, 

Prom the Earhest Times to the present day. 
By JUSTIN H. McCARTHY. 1 vol. 12mo., Lovell's Library 
No. 115, price 10 cents. 

"A timely and exceedingly yigorous and interesting little volume The book 
is worthy of attentive perusal, and will be all the moio interesting because it 
involves m its production the warm sympathies, the passionate enthusiasm, and 
the vivid brilliancy of style which one is glad to welcome :;rom the son of the 
distinguished journalist and author —Christian World. 

"All Irishmen who love their country, and all candid Englishmen, ought to 
welcome Mr Justin H. McCarthy's iitile volume— 'An Outline of Irish History.' 
Those who want to know how it has come about that, as John Stuart I '.ill long 
ago pointed out, all cries for the remedy of specific Irish ^novances are now 
merged in the dangerous demard for nationality, wu! uo well to read Mr. 
McCarthy 8 I'ttle book. It is eloquently written, and carries us from the earliest 
legends to the autumn of 1882, The charm of the style and the impetuousness 
in the flow of the narrative are refreshing and stimulating, and, as regards his- 
toric impartiality, Mr McCarttiyis farmore just thanisMr.Froude'— Graphic, 

'"A brightly written and intelligent account of the leading events in Irish 

annals Mr. McCarthy has performed a difficult task with commendable 

good spirit and impartiality.' —Whitehall Review. 

'To those who enjoy exceptionally briUiaut and vigorous writing, as well 
as to those who desire to post themselves up in the Irish question, we cordially 
recommend Mr. McCarthy s little book."— Evening News. 



ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS. 

Edited by JOHN MORLEY. 
Published in 12mo. vols., paper covers, price 10 cents each. 

Tha ckera Y By A Trol lope 



Johnson. By Leslie Stephen. 
Scott. By R. H. Hattou, 
Gibbon. By J C. Morison, 
Shellet. By J. a Symonds. 
Hume. By Prof. Huxley. P.R.S. 
Goldsmith By William Black. 
Defoe. By W. Minto. 
Burns. By Principal Shairp 
Spenser. By the Very Rev. the Dean 
of St. Paul's. 



Burke By Joha Mor:ey 
BuNYAN. By J. A. Froude. 
Pope. By Leslie Stephen. 
Byron. By Professor Nichol. 
CowpER. By Goldwin Smith. 
Locke By Professor Fowler. 
Wordsworth, ByF.W H Myers. 
Milton. By Mark Pattison. 
Southet. By Professor Dowden. 
Chaucer. By Prof. A. W Ward. 



New York: JOHN W. liOVEIiL. COMPANY. 



LOVBLL'S LIBRARY ADVERTISER. 

HEART AND SCIENCE. 

By WILKIE COLLINS. 

1 Vol., 12mo., cloth, gilt $1.00 

1 " " paper 50 

Also in LoveU's Library, No. 87 20 

" Benjulia" is a singularly interesting, and, in a way, fascinating creation. 
Mr. Collius can deal strongly with, a st ong situation, but he has done nothing 
more powerful than his sketch of Benjulia's last hours. Mr. Gallilee and Zoe 
are capital examples of genuine and unforced humor; and the book, as a 
whole, is thoroughly readable and enthralling from its first page to its last." — 
Academy. 

" Mr. Wilkie Collins' latest novel is certainly one of the ablest he has writ- 
ten. It is quite the equal of ' The Woman in White ' and of ' The Moon- 
stone,' consequently it may truthfully be described as a masterpiece in the 
peculiar line of fiction in which Mr. Collins not only excels but distances every 
rival in tbe walk of literature he has marked out for himself. 'Heart and 
Science ' is in its way a great novel, certainly the best we have seen from Mr. 
Wilkie Collins since ' The Woman in White ' and ' Armada' e.' " — Morning Post. 

" We doubt whether the author has ever written a cleverer story. . . . An 
eloquent and touching tribute to the blessedness and power of a true and 
loving heart. The book unites in a high degree the attractions of thrilling nar- 
rative and clever portraiture of character, of sound wisdom and real humor." — 
Congregationalist. 

By OUIDA. 

1 vol., 12mo., cloth, gilt $1.00 

1 " " paper 50 

Also in Lovell's Library, No. 112, 2 parts, each 15 

"'Wanda' is the story by which Ouida will probably be judged by the 
literary historian of the future, for it is distinguished by all her high merits, 
and not disfigured by any one of her few defects. In point of construction this 
most recent contribution to the fictional literature of the day is perfect; the 
dialogues are both brilliant and stirring, and the descriptive passages are mas- 
terpieces. Ouida is seen at her brightest and be-t in 'Wanda' , the book thrills 
by its dramatic interest, and delights by its singular freshness and unconven- 
tional style. There are no more attractive characrers in English fiction than 
Wanda and her peasant husband, and increased fame must result to the bril- 
liant novelist from this her latest work."— St. Stephen's Beview. 

"We do not know anything Ouida has done that equals this, her latest 
novel, in power of delineating character and describing scenery. Wanda is a 
fine, high-souled character." — Citizen. 

'•A powerful and fascinating novel, deeply interesting, with excellent 
character portrayal, and written in that sparkling style for which Ouida is 
famous. ' Wanda ' deserves to take rank by the side of the best of her previous 
noy els.'" —Darlington Post. 

'" Wanda ' contains much that is striking. The central idea is finely 
worked out. We have seen nothing from Ouida's pen that strikes us as being, 
on the whole, so well conceived and so skilfully wrought ouX.''''— Spectator . 

JOHN W. LOVELL CO., 

14 & 16 Vesey Street, New York. 



LOVELL'S LIBRARY -CATALOGUE. 



113. More Words About the Bible, 

by Rev Jas. S. Bush ...^ 

114. Moii8ieu> Lecoq, Gaboriau ''t. I. . 
Monsieur Lecoq, Pt. ff.^ 

115. An Outline of Irish History, by 

Justin H. McCarthy.- ^ 

116. TheLeronge C"at?e, by Gaboriau.. 

117. Paul Clifford, by Lord Lyttou. . . 

118. A New Lease of'Life,- by About. . 

119. B>urbon Lilies 

120 Otuer People a Mnuey, Gaboriau 
121. The Lady of Lyons, Lytton... 

Vii. Arneline de Bourg -. . . 

l.J:3. A Sea Queen, by VV. Russell 

124. The Ladies Lindores, by Mrs. 

Olinhant . 

125. Haunted Hearts, by Simp.son ... 

126. Lots, i ord Beresford, by The 

Duchefs 

127. rnde>- Two Fla?^, Ouida, Pt. I. . 
Under Two Flags. Pt. II 

128. Mouey by Lord I ytton 

129. In Peril of His Life, by Gaboriau 

1^0. India, by Max Muller.^ 

131. Jets and Flashes . 

HI. Moonshine and Marguerites, by 

The Duchess 

133. Mr Scarborough's Fan v. by 

Anthony Troiiope. Pai- i . . . 
Mr Scarborough sFamiiy.Pt II 

134. Arden, by A. Mary F Robinson, 

135. The Tower of Perce mout 

186. Yoiande, by Wm. Black 

1:^7. Cruel London by Joseph Hatton, 

138. The Gilded CI que. by Gaboriau 

139. PiRs ( ounty Foiled. E H. Mott. . 
340. Cricket on the Hearth 

141. Henry Esmond, by 'i hackeray. . 

142. Stranoje Adventures of a Phae- 

ton. Dy Wm. Biaok 

143. Denis Duval, by Thackeray 

144. OldCurioBity >;hop, Dickens. PtI. 
Old Curiosity Shop, Part II. .. . 

145. Ivanhoe, by bcott, Part I 

Ivanhoe, by Scott, Pare II ..... 

146. White- Wings, by Wm. Black.. 

147. The Sketch Book, by Irvingr . 
14S. Catherine, by W M Thackeray 

149. Janet's hepentauce by El'ot. .., 

150. Barnaby Rudge, Dickens, PtI.. 
Barnahy Riidge, Prrtll 

151. Felix Holt, byr George Eliot. ... 
ir,2. RicUelieu, by Lord Lvtton 

153. Sunrise, by Wm. Klack, Parti., 
fc^unrise. b/Wm. Black. Part II. 

154. Tourof the World in 80 Days.. 

155. Mystery of Orcival. Gaboriau ... 

156. Lovel. the Widower, by W. M. 

Thackeray 

167. Romantic Adventures of a Milk 

maid, by Th'-mas Hardv 

158. David Coppeifield, Dickens, Pt I 
David Copj-erfie'd. Part 11 

160. Rienzi, by Lord Lytton, Part I. 
Rienzi, by Lord Lytton. Part II. 

161. Promise of Marriasre, Gaboriau. 

162. Faith and Unfaith, by The 

Duchess , 



163. The Happy Man, by Lover... 10 
.164. Barry Lyndon, by Thackeray .... 20 
16.5. Eyre's Acquittal 10 

166. Twenty Thou.'and Leagues Un- 

der the Sea, by Jules Verne 20 

167. Anti-Slavery Days, by James 

Freeman CMarke 20 

100. Beauty's Daughters, by The 

Duchess 20 

169. Be> ond the Sunrise 20 

I'O. Hard Times, by Charles Dickens. 20 
17L Tom Cringle's Log;. byM. Scott. .20 
172. Vanity Fair, by W.M.Thackeray.i'O 
17.3. Underground Russi 3. Stepniak..20 
174. Middlemarch, by Elliot, PtI... 20 
iviiddlemarch. Part II 20 

175 SirTjm, by Mrs.Oliphant 20 

176 Pelham, by Lord Lytton SO 

177. The Story of Ida . . 10 

178. Madcap Violet, by Wm. Black.. 20 

179. The Little Pilgrim 10 

ISO. Kilmeny, by Wm Black 20 

1§1. Whist, or Bumblepnppy? 10 

1«2. The Beautiful Wretch Black.. .20 
183. Her Mother's Sin, by B. M. Clay.20 
ISji. Green Pastures and Piccadilly, 

byWm Black 20 

185. The Mysterious Island, by Jules 

Verne, Part I . 15 

The Mysterious Island, Part II. .15 
The Mysterious Island, Part 111.15 

186. Tom Brown at Oxford. Part I. . .15 
Tom Brown at Oxford, Part II.. 15 

^87. Thicker than Water, by J.Payn.2) 

188. In Silk Attire, by Wm. Black. . .t?0 

189. Scottish Chiefs,Jane Porter,Pt.I.20 
Srotti.sh Cb.efs, Part II 20 

no. Willy Reiiiy, by Will Carleton. iO 

191. The Nautz Family, by Sbelley.20 

192. Great Expectations, by Dickens '0 

193. l-^ndennis.by Thackeray, Part 1.20 
I endennis.by Thackeray,Part 11.20 

194. Widow Bedott Papers 20 

196. Daniel Deronda.Gi o. Eliot,Pt. 1.20 

Daniel Deronda, Part II 20 

196. AltioraPeto, by Oiiphan' 20 

197. Bv the Ga'e of the Sea, by David 

Chri.stie Murray 15 

198. Tales of a Traveller, by Irving ..20 

190. Life and Voyages of Columbus, 

by Washint^ton Irving. Part I. .20 
Lif. and Voyases of Columbus, 
by Washington Irving, Part 11.20 

200. The Pilgrim's Progresi 20 

201. Martin Chuzzlewit, by Charles 

Dickens, Part 1 20 

Martin Chuzzlewit, Part II 20 

209. Theophrastus Such, Geo. Eliot. . .20 
'•'03. Disarmed, M. Betham-Edward8..15 

204. Eugene Aram, by Lord Lytton. 20 

205. The Spanish Gipsy and Other 

Poems, by George Eliot 20 

208. Cast Up by the Sea Baker 20 

207. MillontlieFioPs, Eliot. Pt. I. ..15 
Mill on the Floss, Part II 15 

208. Brother Jacob, and Mr. Gilfil's 

Love Story, by George Eliot. . .10 

209. Wrecks in the Sea of Life. .... . .20 




QECRET 

VJ OF 



BEAUm 

How to Beautify the Comvlexion. 

All women know that it Is beauty, rather than genius, which all generations 
of men have worshipped in the sex. Can it be wondered at, then, that so much 
of woman's time and attention should be directed to the means of developing 
and preiervinET that beauty! The most important adjunct to beauty is a clear, 
smooth, soft and beautiful skin. With this essential a lady appears handsomt, 
even if her features are not perfect. 

Ladies afflicted with Tan, Frecklcf, Bough or Discolored Skin, should lose 
no time in procuring and applying 

LAIRD'S BLOOM OI^OUTH. 

It will immediately obliterate-all sufch imperfection/j^ana-is entirely harm- 
less. It has been chemically aifa'lyzed by the Board of Health of New York City, 
and pronounced entirely free -from any material injufious to th*e health or skin. 

Over two million ladies have used this delightful toilet preparation, and in 
every instance it has given entire patisfactibn. Ladies, if you deaire to be beauti- 
ful, give LAIRD'S BLOOM OF YOUTH a trial, and be convinced of its won- 
derful efficacy. Sold by Fancy Goods Dealers and Druggists everywhere. 
Price, 75c. per Bottle. Depot, 83 Jolin St., N. IT. 

FAIR FACES, 

And fair, in the literal and most pleasing sense, are 
those kept fbbsh and puri by the vse of 

BUCHAN'S CARBOLIC TOILET SOAP 

This article, which for the past fifteen years ha» 
had the commendatiom of every lady who uses it, is 
made from the best oils, combined with lust the 
proper amount of glycerine and chemically pure 
carbolic acid , and is the realisation of a JPKlt- 
FECT SOAP. 

It will positively keep the skin fresh, clear, and wkitb; removing tan, 
freckles and diecolorations from the skin; healing all eruptions; prevent chap- 
ping or roughness ; allay irritation and soreness ; and overcome all unpleasant 
effects from perspiration. 

Is pleasantly perfumed ; and neither when using or afterwards is the slight- 
est odor of the acid perceptible. 

BUCHAN'S CARBOLIC DENTAL SOAP 

Clrans and preserves the teeth; cools and refreshes the mouth; eweetens the 
breath, and is in every way an unrivalled dental preparation. 

BUCHAN'S CARBOLIC MEBICINAl. SOAP caree all 

Eruptions and Skia Diseases. 




W 



A 




'^ -p 










i^i^ •)<■ ■ 






' .■> ^ '^ 


!^ .'^"'^ 










'o 0^ 


vO ^^. - 


#^ 




'O 


\ 


..>■ 


^U ' <' 


; \ '■■' 




' ^ c:^ 








.\ 


■A< 




^^ v. 



^^ 



4 -7* 



C:,"^ 



. ~^ o,v- 






/^ 



^' 












* %# 
. ^ -^ 



%■ 



\" 









s'^ <^ 


















% ^^' 



-^ ^V^' 















\^ 



.0- 



^^-^"^''■v^^^^."^ ^0 






\\ 






'O 



\ 

, V . * 



"c- 



^ *^ 



A' 



^'<A 






A\^ 



''^ v:^ 






^5 -u 



.0 



^0^ -c 



^.a^ 



.\^^ j,r.^^A:^ ^^. 



\' 


■^ 


^^^ 


^^. -. 




#■ ^- 


^ 


'\ 




' * , '% 






*'"^% v^~ 







A^' 



.^^ ^^. 



v^' 





"^^ ,y 




^^^ 


'^. ^% 





c^. 



